Narrowing the wealth gap between high-end design and furniture companies and artisans in Cairo, by increasing entrepreneurial and professional skills and integrating supply chains in the design-craft sector.
30.033333, 31.233334
32.5%
of Egyptians now live in poverty compared to 25.2% in 2010.[1]
21.7 M
is the population of metropolitan Cairo.
50%
of Cairo's GDP and 70% of its housing stem from informal economic practices. [2] [3]
Informal areas are fundamentally produced through creative solutions to limited resources. The question is how to build on the existing capacities of local communities while introducing formally-trained designers, thus marrying institutional training to practical knowledge. Co-learning through co-production is a generative framework
Our Commitment
The Julius Baer Foundation and Cluster's BICEIA Design-Craft-Brand programme aims to narrow the wealth gap by fostering collaboration among high-end design industries and micro enterprises in the informal economy. BICEIA focuses on:
- running skills building workshops across three subgroups:
- Carpentry, Metalwork and Furniture Design;
- Palm-Reeds Crafts;
- Reviving Vintage Signage
- organising workshops in which trainers, designers from local high-end furniture businesses and art students work alongside 100 craftspeople from informal areas;
- organising 5 prototyping workshops focused on ensuring products meet the design standards required by the market;
- building marketing and branding strategies, including market analysis, design briefs and exhibitions.
Over 21 million people live in metropolitan Cairo.
The city, like many across Africa and the Global South, has developed largely through the informal economic practices of its residents.
While the state has attempted to incorporate these practices into Cairo’s formal economy, an informal-formal divide persists and is amplified through social and geographical segregation.
Since 2011, CLUSTER has been supporting creative initiatives that play a key role in social development and urban regeneration at the interface between formal and informal economies.
The BICEIA project recognises and reinforces ties between high-end design houses and large-scale manufacturing industries on the one hand, and an ecosystem of informal craft workshops and small manufacturers on the other.
Drawing on CLUSTER’s network of existing and potential partners, this project will bridge economies, exchange knowledge and integrate supply chains.
Become a Changemaker
Do you have innovative ideas about developing a creative economy in informal areas? Or would you like to collaborate with CLUSTER?
[1] Source: World Bank, 2020.
[2] Source: Parnell and Oldfield, 2014.
[3] Source: Sims, 2010.
