There is no doubt that Cairo is witnessing a fashion revolution with the recent surge of local talent. While fashion designers are popping up left and right, it seems that we’ve sort of left our boys behind! Enter Krak Baby – a street wear line created by Moustafa Moussa and Hatem Hannoun. I sat down with the budding entrepreneurs to discuss their line, what they consider street wear and where they fit into the Cairene fashion scene.
Let’s start off slow – give me the what, who, when, where, why and how. What is Krak baby?
MM: Krak Baby is a lifestyle brand. It’s basically a brand that portrays our lifestyle. It’s about who we are, more as people, and encompasses our generation.
HH: We’re starting off with tshirts – that’s how it starts. Right now, the t-shirt is the medium through which we communicate our lifestyle. This will expand to include other mediums – even beyond clothes. The whole point is to put forward that lifestyle. Everyone who got slammed with the TV in their face growing up, this is a line that will represent and define your generation.
MM: Basically, if you see something that looks cool, we’re gonna Krak Baby-fy it.
Krak Baby-fying, I like it! Now who are the creators of Krak Baby?
Moustafa Moussa and HatemHannoun, the creative minds behind Krak Baby, have known each other since primary school. The 23 year olds are both graduates of the American Univeristy of Cairo, studying Communications and Media Arts and Economics, respectively.
MM: We grew up in the same circle – our interests have always been the same, our outings have been the same. Hatem has always had his own style and been really into street wear. After AUC, I started getting into graphic design and Hatem had the know-how of underground street brands.
HH: Plus the whole revolution and no-jobs thing. We had to do something on our own.
So do you consider yourselves entrepreneurs?
MM: Yea, because neither of us is really set on the path of getting a job and sitting at a desk all day long. Some people get a job just to get a job because it’s the “logical next step”. This doesn’t really make sense to me. You join this mundane daily lifestyle that you don’t want because you feel you have to – and it’s depressing, honestly. I realize you need to try out things to know what you want to do, but I know I would regret it for the rest of my life if I don’t take the opportunity while I’m at this age to try out something I want to do. There will always be time to find a job.
HH: Unemployment is one of the main reasons for people to try their own thing. Sometimes this makes being an entrepreneurship a necessity, but its always better if you are passionate about it. Every entrepreneur and start-up will face obstacles that will make you second guess everything you do. But if you’re passionate about it, you’re gonna push yourself. You have to have some sort of motivation. We’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be able to try and do what we want to do.
You guys seemed to take something seemingly negative and try turn it positive. Why Krak Baby?
MM: Basically, we called it Krak Baby because we are born in the 80s – the crack decade. Lots of moms were addicted to crack cocaine, and giving birth to babies addicted to crack cocaine. They’d have issues throughout their lives – ADHD is a disorder associated with being born from a crack cocaine addict.
HH: We’re a modern interpretation of the crack baby – TV is our generation’s crack. We took the concept of being addicted to crack, and we took what our addiction was – video games, TVs, etc. SuperNintendo, Playstation and the technology boom we lived through. Our designs are based on those addictions. It’s our crack. Ask any kid what they want to be when they grow up, and it’s something they saw on TV. A small number will tell you doctor, engineer – the rest will be inspired by something they saw on TV.
Why did you decide to start Krak Baby and how did this brand come about?
MM: I went through this phase where I wanted to be a freelance graphic designer so I started doing logos. Hatem wanted to open his own store in Zamalek and was interested in my logos.
HH: Isn’t it normal that, if you’re really into something, you would want to be a part of it? Contribute to it? That’s the way I feel about it. If you are really into something, ideally, you’d want to factor into it.
Wow, when you put it that way, it makes perfect sense! What is “street wear” to you?
HH: Street wear, at the end of the day, is clothes. The difference is, it’s not part of the commercial fashion fads that everyone follows. With the more commercial stuff, you really can’t tell that much about someone. With street wear, you don’t try to fit in, you try to identify yourself with a particular group. You associate yourself with people like you.
MM: What I like about street wear is that it’s not mainstream where everyone wears it and everyone around you knows what you’re wearing. But for the select few that do wear it, and do recognize it, they’ll know automatically something about you and your lifestyle. That person that’s wearing that t-shirt knows what I’m into and the lifestyle I lead.
What do you think of street wear in Egypt? Are there local street brands?
HH: People are catching on in the sense that more people are starting their own lines, so its street wear in that regard. But they try to sell to everyone and anyone. Whereas we are trying to sell to people that can identify with us.
MM: We are very limited in our designs. With each design, we will print alimited number. If you own one of our t-shirts, you will have a sense of exclusivity because you own one of 50 t-shirts in the world – because we do plan on going international at some point.
Do you consider yourselves part of the up and coming fashion scene in Cairo? The new wave of Egyptian designers?
HH: We’re not designers, we’re not artists. I don’t like the word “fashion designer” because it carries a sense of arrogance with it. The more popular you are, the more BS you can get away with because people start thinking you’re intending it. With us, it’s a lot simpler – if it’s something we would wear, we’ll make it. As far as art is concerned, anyone can call themselves an artist – because isn’t art just expression?
MM: Neither of us did fashion design or art professionally. I wouldn’t be confident saying I’m a “graphic designer”, because if that’s what’s needed to be classified as such, then we’re not. If we see something and we like it, khalas. We won’t think if other people will like it, if it will sell, etc. Our designs aren’t part of some “up and coming scene”. Our number one priority is our consumers in the sense that they come first and we are as dedicated to them as they are to us. No one is gonna like Krak Baby, they will love it. It’s either you love it or you’re not into it.
What’s this generation’s crack?
HH: The internet. Atleast with TV, there was a limit. You had to schedule your day around a certain program, there were limited choices. Now you literally have everything. Its both good and bad – it’s a catalyst for the development of anyone’s personality. If you’re a creative person, but you don’t have the know-how or skills to apply what you have in mind, you have the internet.
MM: It gave the average person a chance to excel at something they don’t necessarily have a talent in, but you still have to be passionate. I learned guitar and graphic design of the internet – it’s all there, but will you take advantage of it? But of course there’s a downside – with the commercialization of talent, you lose sense of what talent is. People are confused. There may be people that aren’t talented but are just marketed really well. Like that Maybe, Baby, Call me song. What is that?! She just a met a stranger randomly and he might call her at some point?! But it’s catchy and people will listen to it.
Would you say that is the difference between mainstream trends and street wear? Commercialization vs. authenticity? Is street wear the “indie” of fashion?
MM: Yes. It’s not about fitting in, it’s about uniqueness.
Krak Baby seems intent on breaking the trend-obsessed and fad-focused lifestyle of Egyptian youth by offering an alternative customized for our generation. To be part of this lifestyle movement, check out their website www.krakbaby.com and place your orders and wait for your delivery!
For those of you hooked on Krak Baby already (as I am), Hannoun assures me that the creative duo will keep their customers updated on the making of their next collection through their Facebook page. With their cool graphic designs and understanding of the role technology plays in our lives, one thing is for sure – Moussa and Hannoun have their fingers on the pulse of this generation and they show no signs of slowing down!