Having just released Mix-and-Match, the latest in their line of industrially designed yet authentically realized furniture sets, Vagora are revolutionising the use of wood and epoxy resin in furniture. The company's name, Vagora, was inspired by a common reference in Egyptian slang to 'Fagora', which translates to ‘wood figure’ in English. Working with highly-qualified craftsmen and suppliers of the finest imported woods, epoxy, and stainless steel, Vagora prioritise their products’ functionality, taking a more innovative, flexible and meticulous approach for every individual product design.

“Most of the furniture available these days are wood veneers, which are basically slices of wood. It is used for finishes to achieve the right look cheaply, but without concern for substance. But we prefer using larger woods, as they are a lot richer in positive properties. From a design viewpoint, each piece has a story to tell,” co-founder and head designer Mohamed Khalil said. “We know that the market is lacking in creativity, and we are filling that gap. It’s not like the usual designs you might see in Egypt. Honestly, our products are going to be even more elevated and oddly unique in design, as currently we are in the process of raising brand awareness.”

Launching in 2018, co-founded by Mostafa Hisham alongside Khalil, and specializing in trendy epoxy products, Vagora aim to become pioneers in the field, reappearing at the Cairo Design Awards this year and working on releasing more products for the remainder of 2019. While some in Egypt may confuse epoxy resin with ceramics, epoxy is distinctly suited for furniture due to its high bonding strength and durability in extreme conditions. Vagora are soon to expand with collaborations in Dubai, Germany and South Africa, where they will celebrate the pride of being 100% produced in Egypt.

“Everything involved in Vagora depicts a passion for wood. We chose Vagora as it is the symbol which identifies each single wood piece. Each figure has value, and serves its function,” Mohamed Khalil told us. “We mainly use walnut wood in most of our products as its figures are rich in patterns that give authentic visuals and very high durability. But we also use other wood types such as teak wood for water-proof functions and outdoor furniture, or Mahogany wood if we want to keep it casual. So Vagora is seen in each wood type, name or ID. It’s the heart of each tree.”