As I mentioned in a previous article on Turkish Fashion, I am the contributing editor of an Egyptian menswear magazine named Uomo Moda, which is based out of Cairo.Well, Uomo Moda is the brainchild of the Cougar Group, which was founded in 1994 by Mostafa Makhlouf, who franchises 40 Italian brands—hence, the Italian name Uomo Moda.
Uomo Moda is the first and only menswear magazine in Egypt and, therefore, it is a great privilege for me to contribute articles on a regular basis!
I have been so honored by the invitation to write for Uomo Moda that, last week, I have begun taking Arabic lessons—a desire that I have had for nearly 30 years!
Assalaam alaykum, Mostafa! So, tell me a little about Cougar…
Wa alaykum assalaam, Francesco! Cougar has all what we need to give to our customers. We believe in giving our customers a complete look that inspires them and makes them enjoy living. Cougar reflects power, appeal, strength, beauty, speed, courage and that’s how men should be.
You franchise Italian brands...so what is it that Egyptian men like about Italian tailoring?
In our Arab world, we can’t say we have a complete industrial solution for the menswear industry. On the other hand, Italy is a fashion industry icon. That’s why our fashion is always inspired by Italian fashion, especially for men’s fashion. So we wanted to deliver a message that we review and present Italian fashion to the local market.
Do you work with brands from any other countries?
We work also with many other countries, but mainly we work with Turkey, as Turkey applies the European standards in terms of quality, material & designs but in more affordable prices.
How many stores do you operate now?Three stores in Cairo and one in Alexandria; but we are looking forward to expanding in other places within the coming few years.
Tell me something about your magazine…
Uomo Moda is the first fashion magazine dedicated to men in Egypt and the Arab countries. We thought of it because we recognized that most men in our world are always interested in everything that is related to future: building business, family security, and leisure like automotives, technology and sports. Finally you’ll find these are all about money and materialistic things. So we thought, “Why don’t we talk to the men—the human being that we want to take care of?”
Specifically, what do you write about in your magazine?
The articles cover everything that a guy would be interested in, whether he is young or not, single or not, father or not, working or not, fashionable or not, can cook or not—all from the fashion aspect. We even talk about sports but from the fashion aspect (sports fashion).
What do the feature articles emphasize?
The main section of Uomo Moda is fashion, where we review one important collection from the local market. Also, we cover the main fashion shows in Italy & USA through our reporters.
How about side articles?
Uomo Moda didn’t forget one very important day of any man’s life; that is, his wedding. So we dedicate a whole section for the groom, before the wedding, then his suit, accessories, and even the honeymoon.
Any special features?
There is one interesting section for the audience in the guides section, in which we post measurements’ guide to menswear (believe it or not, most men don’t know their sizes), and the world’s fashion shows agenda for professionals and individuals.
How many magazines are distributed at a time?We print 3000 copies for now, but expanding by the end of the first year of production to be 5000 copies, and we are now working on our online version that would be http://www.uomomoda.com/. Expect it soon.
Besides your entrepreneurship and magazine, what other roles do you have in the menswear industry?
Oh yeah, what a question?! Ok, I have loved men’s fashion from my early days; fashion has been always my passion, and still. Sometimes I imagine certain designs, but I never find this imagination. Besides the experience of the business, I have been urged to launch a new design and fashion production house. So now I have the opportunity to release the designer that was kept in me for more than 15 years now.
What type of menswear do you design?
I design classic, casual and royal casual styles, as well as some designs for casual and soirée shoes. The production takes place in Turkey. My designs are typical for the unique man of all ages and for occasions. That’s why we named our design line “Alessandro Massimo,” again Italian and, again, powerful and smart.
For more information, you may go on to reading articles two and three.
Photos Copyright Uomo Moda.
