Led by denim expert Sandeep Agarwal, a leading organization specialising in denim-focused trade shows, Denimandjeans will organise its upcoming event on Feb 02-03, 2025 at IHG Citystars in Cairo, Egypt. This new show will add to the series of trade exhibitions already taking place in key regions like India, Vietnam, Japan, and Bangladesh, further expanding the organization’s global footprint.
Set to transform from a renowned tourist destination into a rising powerhouse for textile and apparel production, Egypt is gaining recognition as a reliable and efficient hub for denim and other textiles, solidifying its role in the global market.
Egypt’s emergence as a significant player in denim and textile production is driven by several factors. The textile and apparel sector is the country’s second-largest revenue source after services.
In 2020, Egypt’s textile industry boasted 3,243 companies with a total investment of $3.2 billion, producing 315 million apparel pieces annually and exporting 305 tons of clothing and textiles.
By January 2022, Egypt’s garment exports had increased by 54 per cent to $204 million from $132 million in January 2021, according to New Cloth Market Online. The US remains the primary export destination for Egypt’s textile and clothing exports, with $123 million in January 2022, compared to $78 million the previous year. Exports to Europe also increased during this period, while shipments to Arab nations grew by 63 per cent.
Egypt’s strategic location, political stability, and growing infrastructure have made it an attractive destination for global manufacturers, particularly in light of regional conflicts like the Israel-Gaza situation. The country is renowned for its high-quality cotton, particularly its long and extra-long staple fibers, including the famous Egyptian Giza cotton, known as ‘The White Gold.’ The country also has state-of-the-art spinning mills dedicated to producing premium fine and superfine compact yarns.
With its production growing rapidly, denim has become the most exported product by value in recent years. The country hosts several vertically integrated denim manufacturing companies with significant production capacity. One notable example is Sharabati Denim, a company with operations in both Turkey and Egypt, which plans to increase its annual production from 100 million to 108 million meters by introducing new fabrics, including denim and non-denim varieties.
Lower labor and energy costs are also encouraging Turkish companies to move their production to Egypt. In 2020, average monthly wages in Egypt were around $100, comparable to Bangladesh and India, but significantly lower than China's $208. Additionally, the cost of electricity in Egypt is highly competitive, at around $0.07 per kilowatt-hour—three to four times lower than in China.
Egypt’s geographic location further enhances its appeal as a production hub. Its 15 marine ports provide shorter shipping routes to the US and Europe than those from Asia. For instance, shipping from Egypt to the US takes only 12 days, compared to a month from Asian ports. With its growing infrastructure, competitive advantages, and commitment to quality, Egypt is poised to become a leading player in the global textile and apparel industry, offering a wide range of high-quality, sustainable products to markets around the world.
