Egypt, Fashion and Merchandising Religion, culture, national pride and tradition all play a part in merchandising approaches and fashion businesses in Egypt. The tradition of the family, gender issues, the roles of men and women in society, the extent to which religious beliefs are promoted in the culture—all of this impacts merchandising and fashion. This paper will look at how religion influences merchandising approaches and fashion businesses in Egypt and discuss the effect that religion has on retail and whether or not religious customs appear to be changing.

Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country with a somewhat strong level of Coptic Christian communities. For that reason, the government adopts a secular attitude towards religion, but the religious culture and climate has a strong tradition for dictating dress and merchandising approaches. Other than in Cairo, where events like Cairo Fashion Week (2018) are annually held to promote fashion designs that are international in terms of standards and style, most of the towns in Egypt adhere to the traditional styles of dress and business that are informed by the modesty principles of both Christian and Muslim religions, whose adherents tend to dress relatively similarly (Every Culture, 2018). As the Travelphile (2013) points out, headscarves are a personal choice for all women in Egypt, and both Christians...

As in other Muslim countries in the Middle East, modesty among men and women with regard to dress is a social expectation. Women are expected to wear clothing that...…any significant changes to the country’s population over the years. Nor have there really been any changes in the merchandising—though some internationally-minded retailers in Cairo have had to shut their stores during revolutionary phases in the country’s history to avoid getting sacked. Once the revolutionary phases are concluded, the retailers have been able to open their shops again and sell the international styles that the high-end consumers in Cairo appreciate (Young, 2014).
Current economic issues impact merchandising in Egypt in the sense that much of it is determined by the level of international investment, at least with respect to high-end regions in Cairo. Across the rest of Egypt, where wealth is not a defining feature, fashion is less of brand-related or economic-related issue, as dress and style are modestly priced and provided for the consumers along the Nile River, where religious influence plays…