Meet the Brand Pushing Local Artisanship into the Future

When social responsibility meets age-old artisanship, innovation is surely at play. Local handicrafts brand, Ellie Home Decor, is the godpotter of ethical production in the kitchenware game. From A-Z, the brand uses eco-friendly nontoxic materials, no plastic, zero waste, pays fair wages, and uses stoneware to make their products, a material that requires less heat during the production process.

The seven-year-old brand first started its journey solely focused on creating chic designs on a local level, but before long they realized a much bigger task was at hand. “I was obsessed with handicrafts, and always brought back pieces with me whenever I travelled. I thought to myself, why can’t we make this here?" Nahla Abdelnasser, the CEO of Ellie Home Decor told CairoScene. "At first I was just excited to work on something I loved, but then when I saw the reality it turned into an issue of social responsibility.”

Disappointed at the deteriorating state of local artisanship, Abdelnasser and her sister, Nour, made it a mission to integrate modern techniques and social awareness into the Egyptian market. “Most of our craftsmen picked up the craft through their family, and have no idea that there are ways to innovate the same products they’ve been making their whole lives,“ Abdelnasser said. “I’m convinced that Egyptians have craftsmanship in their blood. It’s our talent."

Ellie Home Decor has grown from teaching a select few artisans in one workshop, to now operating in four workshops including their own production facility, but redefining Egyptians crafts is still very much their mission. “I want to change the perception that craftsmen are from a specific social class. Why can’t everyone pursue the art they love and get paid properly for it?”

Just as tourists travelling to Morocco come back with the quintessential tagine in their luggage as a souvenir, it is Ellie Home Decor’s belief that Egypt should use handicrafts as an economic tool. “Other brands doing what we do only started to pop up in 2018, but we don’t see our competitors as competitors— they’re people pushing towards the same goal we are.”