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

Shopping in Cairo continues to flourish, as more and more international brands come to Egypt. Influenced by Parisienne style, Okaïdi is a French clothing brand dedicated to children between the ages of 3 and 14. The brand carries a wide variety of contemporary items and encourages fashion-conscious kids to mix and match, to create their own unique look.

Located on the third floor inside Sun City Mall, Okaïdi is the most brightly lit store on the level; the shop’s quirky logo is easily distinguishable from the countless other shops surrounding it. The shop floor was a mess due to restocking and the sections – whilst clearly visible – took some tactical manoeuvring to get to. Since Okaidi has a unified pricing method, shopping is made simple and ensures fairness between genders.

Taking up the entire right side of the store, as well as a few islands, the girls’ section is slightly more extensive than that of the boys’. Delicate sun dresses, cute polka-dot skirts (225LE) and funky jean skirts (259LE) stood out, while t-shirts start at 79LE and fair-weather jumpers at 169LE. As with all clothes in Okaidi, jeans are separated and priced according to style and age. Skinny jeans retailed at 259LE, slim jeans at 225LE, and comfortable treggings were priced at 169LE.

Pertaining to the general fashion present throughout the girls section, adorable cat-shaped backpacks went for 169LE. A wide selection of ballet flats, buckle shoes and studded high-tops (225-315LE) were neatly exhibited underneath hanging scarves (25-99LE). 

The boys’ department is rather monochromatic and doesn’t evoke the same fashion-conscious approach as the girls’ section. We saw a plethora of jeans and sneakers, plaid shirts in a variety of colours, khaki jackets (259LE), baseball caps (115LE) and trendy fisherman hats (89LE). Despite the general lack of exciting patterns and styles, a few select pieces did spark our interest, such as an incredibly soft burgundy house robe (225LE) and a trendy blue messenger bag (199LE).

Okaïdi’s philosophy on allowing a child to create their own unique look is inherent throughout the shop and mis-matching is made more difficult by colour themes and staple wardrobe pieces. While the store doesn’t carry a particularly large selection of styles, it offers reasonably priced clothing that appeals to both children and adults; a balance that not all children shops achieve.