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

While being a Cairo 360 reviewer has plenty of perks, there are a few moments in what is an otherwise endless journey of discovery – namely when we go to review shops. Browsing, touching and enquiring prices of 90% of a shop’s merchandise is uneasy enough, but that uneasiness becomes tenfold when we visit a shop that specialises in underwear, like MB3. But work is work, you know?

While its name sounds more like either a 90s r&b band or a horrible typo at an electronics store, the Zamalek-located shop offers underwear and loungewear solutions for men, women and children. At the time of our visit, one male staff member was present, which made it ever-so awkward for a woman to be enquiring about undergarments and the like. Pushing our inhibitions out of our increasingly paranoid minds, we explore the women’s section first. The first collection to catch our eyes was that of thick, cotton sleeveless tees in both plain white (35LE) and a range of colours (37LE) – a reasonable and unsurprising price. Alongside the tees were a collection of leggings, with white ones going for 55LE and coloured/patterned ones going for 60LE. Other basic underwear items start at a mere 20LE.

The children’s section – the smallest by far in the shop – is made up mostly of boys underwear, which feature a range of different cartoon characters and such, priced at a reasonable 13LE each.

It was only when we moved onto the men’s section that we came to realise that it’s the male species that MB3 caters most to, with an impressively varied selection of underwear and loungewear items on offer. Strangely, the staff member on duty was highly hesitant to reveal the price of the boxer shorts to a woman, repeatedly pointing out that these are not for women. Generally, however, the prices are a three or four LE more than its female equivalent, with sleevless tops going for 37LE to 40LE, and boxer shorts starting at 25LE.

Overall the aesthetic of MB3’s clothing is all rather over the top, with the MB3 logo emblazoned across much, if not all, of it. It was something else altogether that impressed most – MB3’s collection of rather strikingly-coloured towels; big bath towels for 70LE and smaller hand towels for 50LE, while face towels go for 10LE. Bathrobes, meanwhile, stand as possibly the most expensive item, priced up at 300LE.

As a local company that has chains all across the country – including many outside of Cairo and even two in Sudan – MB3 should be applauded for its reasonable quality and reasonable prices. Grab a free catalogue on your way out.