Dayra sells high-quality upcycled clothes, produced by young designers trained in the company’s educational programme, Mn Qomash (From Fabrics). The programme provides a fully funded scholarship for aspiring designers in upcycling and sustainable fashion techniques, blending technology with traditional craftsmanship.
Inspired by her community work and background in educational technology, Basma saw an opportunity to address clothing waste while training local designers:
‘Before launching Dayra, I used to just sell my clothes and my family’s and friends’ clothes that we no longer wear and donate the sales proceeds to people in need. But a lot of the clothes were torn and not in perfect shape, and the idea for Dayra started to develop. Now we take clothes that would have been discarded and turn them into new upcycled masterpieces.’
Dayra has trained about 80 designers in less than a year, with 1,500 applicants in the first scholarship round of Mn Qomash. The company runs its own ecommerce platform, displays collections in pop-up shops and fashion events, and launched the country’s first-ever nationwide fashion event promoting zero waste, called ‘The Zero Festival’, in collaboration with Egypt’s Ministry of Culture.
Running a startup, however, can feel stressful and all-consuming, Basma gained new insights into how to manage this in the She Entrepreneurs programme:
‘When you have a startup and you’re not backed by a lot of investment in the beginning, you just forget about your mental health and well-being, so this kind of programme is very important. You meet like-minded women entrepreneurs sharing the same struggles, so you feel you’re not alone. I learned that I can ask for help, that there’s no big shame in that. I also learned to breathe when I’m overwhelmed, to find my support system, and that I have to celebrate my achievements more and find time to make myself happy.’
Another benefit of the six-month She Entrepreneurs programme for Basma was the opportunity to network with regional and international women leaders, particularly during the week of onsite learning in Stockholm.
‘One of the things that I’m working on is providing internship opportunities for our incubated designers in different Western countries to learn best practices in upcycling and sustainable fashion. Usually, the programmes we join are mainly tailored to the Arab world, but She Entrepreneurs helps you build a network with the Western market more. In just one week, I made connections with investors, business owners and influencers in the region. I really recommend this programme for all entrepreneurs.’