Rebel With a Cause: The 22-Year Old Taking On Egypt’s Streetwear Scene
The young mind behind two of Cairo’s hottest fashion destinations, ‘Sight’ and ‘Drop The Shop’, this is how Hussein Shahbender did it.
For 22-year old Egyptian entrepreneur Hussein Shahbender, the young mind behind two of Cairo’s hottest fashion destinations, ‘Sight’ and ‘Drop The Shop’, the traditional path to success was not one he felt inclined to follow. Where others his age found comfort in conformity, Shahbender’s spirit sought challenge. Even from a young age, he had an independent streak, preferring adventurous pursuits like wakeboarding, fishing, hunting, and other off-the-beaten-path hobbies over the mainstream activities adopted by his peers. This same rebellious spirit shaped his unconventional approach to business.
At 17, Shahbender began teaching himself the ins and outs of the luxury watch market; one that “kick-started [his] career and shaped [his] business inclinations.” The hands-on experience later led him to notice a lack of Egyptian fashion brands catering to local youth culture.
Determined to fill this gap, Shahbender launched streetwear label Sight in 2020 after months of hands-on fashion and market research. Success bred more ambition for the now-22-year-old. Co-founding concept store ‘Drop The Shop’ the following year with his best friend Khaled Abou Taleb provided a local showcase as well as pulling in international names. The risk paid off as demand for domestic labels grew.
As both ventures saw success, Shahbender sought a killer team of Egypt’s foremost industry pioneers with whom he felt his story resonated, whose own stories aim to inspire a new generation of aspiring entrepreneurs. Through a series of intimate video interviews, Sight’s newest campaign highlighted myriad success stories who shared one vision, one sight. The Campaign’s quickfire impact, which led to immense exposure for the brand, brought upon Sight’s biggest philanthropic gesture yet, in which 25% of Sight’s revenue throughout the month of Ramadan was donated to the Ahl Masr Foundation.
In a virtual sit-down with SceneStyled, Shahbender dove into the story of how his upbringing instilled within him an entrepreneurial spirit, how Sight - and later Drop The Shop - came to be, and how he went about recruiting a killer ‘Sight Team’ for a greater purpose.
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