PRYZM is a new Egypt-based apparel brand, specialized in athleisure wear. We’ve exclusively interviewed Kareem Yasser, CEO and Founder of PRYZM, for the full brand story! 

BB: Starting with the big picture, how do you see the local athletic retail fashion scene in Egypt and where it’s heading ? Are you eyeing surge or dwindle ?

KY: I’ve personally been in the Egyptian apparel market for the past 6 years doing both B2C and B2B work, I believe that with all the challenges Egypt has been facing for the past 10 years the market in general has developed an anti-fragile behavior (it gained from disorder), for instance the currency devaluation in November 2016 has propelled the whole market as the customer now prefers the local brand in comparison to the imported one if the quality and the user experience in general is up there. I have a strong belief it only goes up from here.

BB: In your opinion, are Egyptian athletic apparel brands capable of competing and capturing the minds and hearts of global consumers ?

KY: For sure, Egypt has got the know-how in the ready-made garments industry and all the supplementing industries as well. On top of that there are a lot of bright minds who are doing a wonderful job in product/brand development. This formula if developed correctly can be very appealing to a lot of customers around the globe, it just needs the proper time and effort.

BB: PRYZM! What’s in the name ? What’s the main inspiration behind this brand name ?

KY: PRYZM is inspired by the lifestyle that the new-age sports have created, whether it’s outdoor sports, fitness, martial arts or watersports. These newly emerging subcultures have created an interesting lifestyle that combines movement, adrenaline, and art.

The word PRYZM, is derived from the word Prism, we believe that through these activities we can make life more colorful just like a prism refracts white light into more colors. The two arrows facing down resembles the feeling we get while having adrenaline rush something we feel when we are practicing our passion. 

BB: Brand purpose is deeply influencing buyers’ decisions in today’s marketing world. What’s the purpose of PRYZM ?

KY: The brand purpose is to be a part of these emerging subcultures I’ve mentioned earlier through developing value products  that allow the people to rep the activity that gives color to their life wherever they go. 

BB: Can you shed some lights on the core values of PRYZM as a brand ?

KY: The two core-values of the brand is that we practice what we preach, I personally practice all these activities that define the personality of the brand, this will always make the brand have a genuine message. The second core value is that we will always have “Skin in the game” while dealing with any of our stakeholders, whether it’s a supplier, service provider or any of our customers we would never sell you hidden risk (That’s the second Nassim Taleb reference, his books had a big influence on me)

BB: What’s the importance of customer experience in building athletic apparel brands and what are the main attributes of PRYZM’s customer experience?

KY: The customer experience is the main driver of not only having returning customers, but a good word of mouth marketing for any brand. The customer experience begins at the product design stage, the customers want a product they can relate to, our products are designed by athletes for athletes, it doesn’t only look good, but they are designed to support you in any physical activity you’re doing.Our brand is 100% online, so the customer need to have an interactive customer service that helps them with all the inquiries, also if placing an order is a hassle this can be something that repels people from your brand, Facebook introduced Facebook and Instagram shops in the middle east this year which made online shopping even easier .

BB: Let’s talk about competition. How PRYZM is raising the bar for other local athletic apparel brands ?

KY: The most common feedback we get from our customers is that they never expected to get that quality product for the price they pay, that’s our secret sauce if you might call it that.

BB: Can you shed some lights on the design process of PRYZM’s apparel products ?

KY: We have a very talented team of designers behind our brand, starting from the pattern makers who are the reason behind the great feedback we’ve been getting on our fits, to the graphic designers whom we’re always brainstorming designs ideas, we’re working on new lines of products that we’re very excited about.