The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

We’re lucky that stock shops have spread out through Cairo, providing
the Egyptian market with basic clothing items at very sensible, wholesale
prices. Who needs a simple vest or t-shirt for 100LE when you can get the same
quality for much less? 9LE is a stock shop in Nasr City that offers cheap
export surplus of women’s, men’s and children’s clothing.

The shop is basically one long aisle of clothes, with a couple of
changing rooms on either side. Lacoste men’s t-shirts are located next to
Adidas track-suit trousers. Are they knock-offs or the actual brand originals?
We may never know, but at prices starting at as low as 35LE for track-suit
trousers and 30LE for t-shirts, the quality and cut of the items seem so
authentic; it’s worth buying them anyway.

Unfortunately, the women’s department didn’t have as many brands at the
time of this reviewer’s visit, but their pyjamas, glitter-printed Lycra tops,
and long, loose cotton cardigans (69LE) are nonetheless tempting. You can find
a two-piece pyjama set in cream (54LE) or a funky t-shirt and shorts combo with
cartoon prints starting at 20LE. For such low prices, their soft cotton fabrics
and durability make them great buys.

They may not be the type of clothing articles that you’d proudly show
off, but cotton tops in 9LE are more suitable to be worn under a jacket or
sweater. A skim through the overly cluttered display may land you a chic,
sleeveless cotton-mix top (60LE), which could add a nice touch to a formal
outfit. 

When it comes to kids’ wear, t-shirts and outfits are so many and
diverse in their designs that you may have to fight the urge to buy them all.
With prices starting at 15LE for baby t-shirts, the shop owners seem to be
practically asking you to.

Boys’ and girls’ clothes starting from age zero to 10 years are
available in every possible shape and colour; from mini-dresses and tiny skirts
for girls (50LE) to jeans and printed t-shirts for boys. 

You may not find anything in the shop that’s actually for 9LE, and most
of their clothes aren’t of the highest quality, but if you choose carefully you
can easily end up with affordable finds that can be put to hard work.