Why it matters: founded in 2004 by designers Goya Gallagher and Margarita Andrade, this women-led Egyptian linen house created Threads of Hope, a free embroidery school that has trained hundreds of marginalised local and refugee women in Downtown Cairo, each graduate earning a living hand-finishing luxury cotton for brands worldwide. The hand-embroidered bedlinen, tablecloths and robes are museum-shop quality (the Met carries them) and rooted in Egypt’s long thread-work tradition. Buy a hand-stitched pillowcase or table runner as a keepsake with a genuine backstory. Tip: Malaika is carried at several Zamalek design galleries rather than one flagship, so call ahead, as showrooms keep boutique hours.
Good to know
Zamalek design galleries (multiple stockists) - luxury hand-embroidered linens - call ahead for hours