Fashion is a far-flung foreign amenity in the city of East Cairo. “Here and in the Middle East in general, where we face economic and political problems, fashion is strictly defined as clothes to be worn,” says the upstart designer and East Cairo local Dana Frid. “Creating a fashion brand and setting trends without boundaries are two things that are not easily reached.” Frid is an outlier. She discovered the world of fashion at age 17 when she “accidentally” happened upon the wide world of Tumblr. She started following fashion blogs and artists, learned design tricks online, and was, she says, “fascinated by everything since I had never seen anything like this in my entire life.” While her exposure to style came late, she did grow up surrounded by creative energy. Her mother is a painter and sketch artist on the side and a philosophy professor full-time. “She always worried about my future,” Frid notes. “She really wanted me to be in a creative field, but she emphasized that I should have a plan B if it didn’t work out.”