Jihan Opens in Paris, Celebrating African and West Asian Design Through Culture and Community

Paris got itself a new concept store, one that approaches retail not as a destination in itself, but as a starting point for cultural exchange.Launching in Le Marais this June, Jihan arrives with a proposition that feels increasingly relevant in a moment when fashion, design and publishing are becoming inseparable from broader conversations around identity, heritage and community.

Founded by Egyptian duo Mariam El Gendy and Youssef El Sayed, the project brings together a carefully curated selection of brands from across Africa and West Asia while creating a space for dialogue through film, literature, music and archival practices.

The inaugural edition, titled Chapter I, unfolds as the first installment in what the founders describe as an ongoing city-to-city narrative. Housed in the heart of Paris's Marais district, the space features a mix of established and emerging names spanning fashion, beauty, accessories, jewelry and homeware. Among them are labels including Super Yaya, Renaissance Renaissance, Paria Farzaneh, Rescha, Kotn and Kaia Olive Oil, reflecting a geographic and creative landscape that extends far beyond conventional regional categories.

Photography has always played a central role in shaping cultural memory, and Jihan's visual identity is introduced through a campaign shot by photographer Dexter Navy, whose imagery captures the project's contemporary outlook while remaining grounded in the communities and stories that inspire it.

What distinguishes Jihan from many retail concepts is its commitment to programming. Through Worldly Matters by Jihan, the founders transform the space into an active cultural venue, hosting screenings, reading rooms, listening sessions and conversations that engage with questions of memory, migration, history and creative production. The opening month includes a film screening curated by SHASHA Movies examining political and cultural shifts in Egypt, an interactive reading room with HIKMA dedicated to preserving Mesopotamian histories, a residency with STORM Books, and a listening session hosted by London-based DJ and NTS Radio resident Cheb Mimo.

The project also reflects a growing shift among a new generation of founders who see commerce and cultural stewardship as interconnected rather than separate pursuits. From its inception, Jihan has committed five percent of its profits to organizations supporting women's economic independence. For its first chapter, the platform is partnering with Egypt's Misr El Kheir Foundation, supporting women artisans through training programs and sustainable economic opportunities.

For El Gendy, whose background spans documentary and editorial photography, and El Sayed, who works at the intersection of branding and cultural strategy, Jihan feels like the natural evolution of years spent building relationships across creative communities. Rather than presenting African and West Asian creativity through the lens of trend or novelty, the platform approaches these regions as living ecosystems of ideas, craftsmanship and contemporary cultural production.

In a city filled with concept stores, Jihan's ambition is not simply to sell objects. It is to create a space where objects, stories and people can exist in conversation with one another, offering a more expansive view of what retail can become.

Cover/Mariam El Gendy