At Malaika, we believe in the beauty and quality of handcrafted pieces. Designed to enhance your home whilst empowering local communities, every Malaika item is a labour of love and a true celebration of craftsmanship – a real luxury in today’s technology-driven world.
Woven from the finest Egyptian cotton and linen, our pieces are beautifully adorned with intricate embroidery, whimsical silk screen prints and colourful embellishments. Designs are inspired by our love of Egypt and its rich history and culture, with evocative palm trees, scarab beetles, the River Nile and pharaonic motifs.
Although hand-embroidery has a long tradition in Egypt, modern manufacturing processes have led to its decline. Motivated by a desire to resurrect this age-old art and provide a sustainable income for underprivileged women, we have opened our own embroidery school in the heart of Cairo. Women come here to learn the art of embroidery and once they are proficient, they leave to work from home or at our factory.
Our bed and table linens showcase the finest hand-embroidery techniques, from delicately stitched rosebuds to elaborate pulled-thread openwork – a complex process which involves cutting and pulling individual threads to create intricate patterns. Each piece gains a unique personality, which a machine-made product can never obtain.
In addition to our embroidered pieces, our collection also includes hand-printed accessories. Inspired by Egyptian symbols and archive prints, each design is first drawn and painted in our design studio before being printed by hand on a traditional silk screen, with no machinery involved in the print process – this makes every piece unique. After printing, items are finished with beautiful tassels and colourful pompoms, also crafted by hand.
Some years ago, Malaika started to work with artisans all around Egypt creating new collections of home accessories. The aim was to preserve and promote traditional Egyptian crafts, including Khayamiya (derived from the Arabic word for tent) a decorative appliqué textile, the corded embroidery found in Cairo’s Khan Khalili bazaar, blown glass from the workshops of the ‘City of the Dead,’ the pottery of Fayoum, brass, alabaster and many more.
Malaika works closely with the artisans to create unique pieces and offers them a platform to showcase their work. Additionally, Malaika wants to encourage the preservation of these ancient traditions which are in risk of dying out.