Cairo According to: Amr Kawashti

Before co-founding lifestyle brand In Your Shoe with Ezz Tarek in 2018 and landing on Forbes 30 Under 30 just five years later, Amr Kawashti was an engineering student at the German University in Cairo who liked to rock cool socks. But what he began as a statement sock brand has since morphed into one of the fastest growing homegrown streetwear labels in Egypt, all while maintaining its identity as a Millennial and Gen Z favourite.

Here, the In Your Shoe co-founder introduces us to the National Arab Music Institute, brings us back to the good old nady days, and tells us just what makes Cairo special to him.

What’s a place that means Cairo to you?

Anywhere that gives you the full Cairo spectrum in one shot: chaos, charm, movement, history, random surprises and people from every kind of world crossing paths. So I’d say Downtown, because it captures that mix better than anywhere else.

Complete the following: Cairo is special because…

It’s a bit of everything. You could go to the fanciest restaurant in the city, then end up at a very local spot after, and genuinely enjoy both. That range from polished to raw, from classic to modern is what makes Cairo feel alive. And honestly, I think that’s also why my personality is a bit of everything. Growing up in Cairo gives you layers, you become comfortable with contrast, with different kinds of people, places and energies, and that shapes you.

What’s your favourite neighbourhood?

Heliopolis. I was born and raised there, so it’s a huge part of how I experienced Cairo growing up. School was there, Nady Heliolido was there, so many of my everyday memories are tied to it. I live in New Cairo now, but I still go to Heliopolis almost every day, which says a lot.Your go-to food spot?

A proper عربية فول. I’ve been obsessed with it since school days. It’s my all-time favourite breakfast. I don’t go that often anymore, but whenever I do, it just sets the whole day right.Your go-to café?

Brown Nose at O1 - New Cairo.

I’ve built a Saturday ritual. A lot of friends I talk to during the week somehow end up getting invited for coffee, so it usually turns into this random mix of friends, most of whom don’t know each other, all spending the morning together over coffee.  

Your go-to date spot?

Estro – Maadi. What isn’t a Cairo landmark but should be?

The National Arab Music Institute. I took my mom to a concert there last month, and it was breathtaking. The whole place feels like a time machine, like stepping into a more elegant, more soulful version of Cairo that still somehow exists.Tell us a song that feels like Cairo.

الشوارع حواديت by El Masryeen

There’s something about hearing it at night, driving through relatively empty streets after a long day, that makes the city feel full of stories.   What's a place in Cairo you wish you could revisit for the first time?

The Opera building. The first time I went there, it felt like discovering a completely different layer of Cairo: a calmer, more elegant, more cultural side of the city. It has a certain presence to it, and that first impression is hard to recreate.

And though it’s not exactly one specific place, I always find the view of Cairo from the plane incredibly charming, especially at night. Every time we’re landing, I catch myself trying to guess the districts and landmarks from above. It makes the city feel endless, familiar, and new at the same time.