Amina Galal Is Making Fashion On Her Own Terms

In an industry that demands constant innovation, one Cairo-based designer is stepping off the hamster wheel and into the alleys. For Amina Galal, fashion isn’t a breathless sprint through fleeting trends, but a slow, deliberate unfolding of stories. In a radical rewriting of the traditional fashion calendar, Galal has found a structure which works for her and the pieces she is determined to save from the digital vacuum. It’s not just a designing choice, it’s a manifesto on reclaiming stories, space, and time.

No seasons. No rush. Amina Galal works in volumes. Two a year. Same collection, new layer. It’s a fashion format that reads more like a novel than a lookbook. More literary than commercial. More rooted than reactive.

“As an emerging designer, I believe it’s our responsibility to question the existing norms and find ways to improve the industry,” Galal shares. “The volume approach is my way of contributing to a more sustainable and meaningful fashion landscape, where the art of creation isn’t rushed, but instead savored and understood over time.”

Her latest collection, ‘In Our Alleys’, is a slow, textured unfolding of Egypt’s forgotten corners and the people who inhabit them. In its second volume, the palette darkens, lines sharpen, and the story breathes into life.

“Every detail, from fabric selection to construction, is a testament to the heritage and history I'm portraying,” Amina Galal tells SceneStyled.

Yet this volume doesn't linger in the past. It is rooted in tradition but refracted through a futuristic lens, and the sun-bleached nostalgia of volume one is propelled into a hyper-modern realm. Time-honoured silhouettes frame contemporary motifs, traditional prints are sliced with clean lines, and contradictions become conversation. Here, duality is a design language, and Amina Galal speaks in clear terms.

“It’s about building connections between past and present, between people, and between cultures. My brand seeks to correct these misinterpretations of our culture by presenting a different narrative, one rooted in positive, meaningful cultural expression.”

Take the brand’s logo: the green fibula. Religion may have given green a bad rep, but green in Arabic culture represents prosperity, hope, and peace. Projected onto the fibula - an ancient fastening tool used by women - it becomes a symbol of connection: between garments, histories, and women across eras.

“Just as the fibula connected garments and told the stories of women across time, my brand seeks to connect people through design while telling stories that reflect our authentic shared heritage and values,” Amina Adds. “It’s a reminder of the richness of our culture, and my goal is to modernize that, making it relevant and meaningful to contemporary audiences.”

If she had to distill the collection in three words? “Resilient, layered, authentic”.

This isn’t token craft. It’s not heritage for the Instagram feed. Everything is built with intention - and with people. Each piece carries the fingerprints of the local artisan who hand crafted it, the words of the people who inspired it, and the cultural anecdotes that informed it. It is a living, breathing collaboration with a community of local artisans.

“The most rewarding aspect has been witnessing the excitement and encouragement from the artisans and craftsmen I work with,” Amina reveals. “Their enthusiasm for embarking on this journey with me has been incredibly uplifting.”

It comes of no surprise, then, that after a successful soft launch at Paris Fashion Week, Galal returned to her roots. Not because she had to but because Cairo is home - in all its chaos, artistry, and authenticity. This isn’t just a brand. It’s a reclamation. Of space, of narrative, of rhythm. And it’s only the beginning.

Volume Two of ‘In Our Alleys’ is now available at Maison 69.