The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Fred Perry has opened up another branch  in Cairo on Lebanon Street in Mohandiseen, and the shop  is in good company. Surrounded by Calvin Klein,
Tommy Hilfiger and Burberry, this part
of Mohandiseen is almost a fashion highway.

Although
celebrity branding is nothing new, the likes of Jay-Z, P Diddy, JLO and Kanye
West like to have you believe that they are the pioneers when it comes to self-branding.
British tennis player Fred Perry was way ahead of them and
actually invented something useful – the sweatband. After the success of the
sweatband he created a polo shirt and voilà, a brand was born.

As with
any other shop in Egypt, the in-shop music easily trumps the music in any club in Cairo; the loud, pumping beats will guide you into
the relatively small shop. On the right hand is the women’s section which is
considerably smaller than the men’s. Half
of the women’s collection consists of Amy Winehouse-designed items, most of which are bright pink, infused with pop art. A super-short pop art dress
carries the hefty price of 1525LE but considering the singer’s untimely death, this
dress is not so much a purchase as it is an investment. The best items in the
store are probably the long cardigans. Made from 100% pure cotton, they’re airy and comfortable. They go for around 1150LE apiece; expensive
but in this case, totally worth it. Fred Perry’s signature polo shirt goes
for 650LE though the women’s section isn’t afforded many colours.

So
perhaps it is better to jump on over to the men’s department where, at the same
price of 650LE, more colours are available. There is choice between the slim
fit and the regular fit. All possible colours you can think of are available
from baby pink to Kermit-green to electric blue. Women should buy the slim fit
a size too small and it will fit perfectly. The shop also stocks a nice
collection of shorts for men. They are priced between 650LE and 900LE and sport
bright chequered patterns.

Fred
Perry also caters to babies with a range of polo shirts, shorts and
blouses. The polo’s are 425LE and blouses are 555LE, which is on the expensive
side for such a small piece of fabric.

The
accessories department offers plenty of shoes and bags with casual-chic sneaker-style ballerinas costing
565LE. The bags are ideal to take along to the gym and if you’re a light packer,
they serve as decent weekend bags too. The larger bags are between 600LE and
900LE.

The
staff at Fred Perry are friendly and the changing rooms are spacious. There’s an
undeniable attraction attached to that simple wreath logo and for basics and casual-sporty clothes, Fred Perry is a pricey go-to.