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

Spanning the size of a small city, Faysal
Street in Haram is a monster in every sense. Along its pavements you will find
every type of shop, vendor, stall or service that you’d need. Competition is
fierce, so it’s no mean feat that Premoda is such a visual attention-grabber. Catering
to men and women, this clothes shop extends over the whole front of a large
building.

Without getting readers too excited,
Premoda works with some of the same factories that popular European chain
Primark does; and so it stocks some of the same products. We fear that cool
Cairene hipster types won’t really feel the benefit of this phenomenon, though;
as Premoda’s selection is much more Egypt-appropriate, and so it isn’t the
alternative to H&M that Primark is.

The women’s wear selection presents a wide,
almost random, range of items. You can find almost anything, from smart, tailored
coats for between 250LE and 350LE at the most expensive end of the spectrum,
followed by fitted blazers at 250LE each. Although most fits of jeans are covered,
the choices within each option are limited. However, for no more than 130LE,
they attract the biggest crowds.

The highlight of Premoda is the women’s
shoes and accessories. If you’re familiar with Primark, then you’ll appreciate
this surprisingly extensive section of the shop. With a wide range of flats,
boots and in-season wedges, and at a range of 60LE to 140LE, you’ll suddenly
realise that you need a new pair of shoes.

The collection of handbags is also eclectic
enough for even men to be impressed by. Small but noteworthy selections of
scarves, fashion jewellery and belts are also on offer, and slightly cheaper
than many of the accessory-specific shops around Cairo. The most expensive
bag sells at 140LE, and you can grab a skinny infinity scarf at 30LE.

Although equal to the women’s wear
collection in quantity, the menswear section suffers from a lack of variety. One
half is devoted to formal wear, but the selection of suits, though large, is
uninspiring. Cairo360 endorses the motto: ‘each to their own’, but we can’t
imagine who might buy these outdated and badly presented suits. Even at a mere
300LE to 500LE, better alternatives can be easily found in Cairo for the same
price range.

There’s a respectable but unspectacular range of ties and formal
shirts, but nothing in the way of shoes. Random assortments of t-shirts,
jumpers, trousers and a small collection of jeans make up the rest of the
section, as does a small collection of underwear, sleepwear, and loungewear.
There’s little that stands out in the menswear selection, and so if you must
make a purchase, a degree of scavenging is required. With summer all but upon
us, casual short-sleeved summer shirts sell for 79LE to 89LE, while graphic
t-shirts sell for 49LE.

The problem isn’t that you won’t see anyone
wearing Premoda’s range; it’s that you won’t recognise it if you do. This is a
shop that’s great for the basics, but if you’re looking for a notable addition
to your wardrobe; look elsewhere.