A summer trip to the Siwa Oasis in Egypt was transformative for Adam Lippes, who was inspired by the sights he took in and also the artisans he met.
This season, he worked in more muted colors and focused on handcraft, using pencil floral drawings on cotton poplins and twill pieces sourced from Hesni, one of the oldest Egyptian cotton mills.
Thread work, based loosely on wall art from ancient Egyptian tombs, became embroideries on a loomed linen jacket, wrap skirt and cropped top that were all as pretty on the inside as on the outside. The embroidery was developed with Threads of Hope, a Cairo-based social enterprise that trains and employs marginalized women and refugees.
“We don’t hear much about Egyptian artisanal craft anymore, but it’s really there,” said Lippes, adding that he’s trying to figure out how to do more production with the nonprofit.
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The season’s ruffled khaki cropped top and matching wrap full skirt, tie-neck shirt and dolphin shorts sets should continue to satisfy fans who appreciate ladylike style but also stealth wealth. Also lovely were his supersoft crochet knits handmade in Nakuru, Kenya, with Bebe Ravi, a cooperative that trains and employs 100 local women and supports the Patrick Chege Memorial Orphanage.
“Business is extraordinarily good,” said Lippes, sharing that e-commerce is up 170 percent year-over-year. “Online, people are buying expensive things from us. This is a woman who is 40-plus who doesn’t want a label that’s wearing her but wants the same fabric and quality.”
That’s all with next to no marketing, aside from the trunk shows Lippes does on the regular, traveling for weeks at a time. “Some of the younger brands have started out with a marketing mindset, maybe even more than a design mindset. I come from the reverse,” said the designer, who admits to not being much into filming himself on social media. “I’m trying to figure that out to take us to the next level.”