Fustany Team 
'Coushies' is an Egyptian brand that manufactures here in Egypt, and is run by three co-founders:
Yasmine El-Mehairy, the founder of ‘Super Mama’, a website specialized in anything and everything that concerns mothers in Egypt and in the Arab world. ‘Coushies’ is Yasmine’s second start-up, she also won several entrepreneurship prizes and even had the chance to talk to international press about her project like the New York Times.
Yousra El-Mehairy, ‘Coushies’’ co-founder, marketing and brand manager, always had a passion for marketing since she was in high school. She succeeded in becoming ‘Super Mama’s’ marketing and communication manager, and was able to increase the monthly website’s visitors from thousands to millions.
Last but not least, Omar El-Seddawy, the third co-founder of ‘Coushies’ is originally a dentist turned business man, who loves turning ideas into real projects and creating businesses able to compete in the market. He has vast experiences in marketing, and was one of the co-founders of a successful food chain called ‘The Streat’.
So how did ‘Coushies’ start?
My sister and I always had a strong belief that cushions have a strong impact on home decoration, it could turn a dull room into a very cozy one. Whether they’re placed nicely on a couch or thrown randomly on a bed, or even on the floor, cushions are always a good choice for home décor. Then, a friend came on board, Omar El-Seddawy to make the dream of making cushions come true and into a real business.
Tells us, how did you collaborate with two NGOs ‘Rommana’ and ‘Tawasol’ to start-up your business?
‘Coushies’ started early this year, and our main goal was to provide high quality Egyptian made cushions, but we also wanted to support underprivileged Egyptian women who are associated with certain NGOs like ‘Rommana’. ‘Rommana’ helped us reach women who need a fixed income to provide for their families, and they helped these women develop their sewing and embroidery skills to produce high quality products. As for ‘Tawasol’ they are trying to provide an academic life for underprivileged children through filling their free time with skill development and unveiling hidden talents in sewing and embroidery. This way ‘Coushies’ can provide a local product with very high quality and well-designed taste.
What made you seek underprivileged families to manufacture your cushions?
We believe in the hidden talents we have here in Egypt especially in the underprivileged areas that have hard access to anyone who can develop their skills and make use of it. We wanted to create an Egyptian made product with international quality to prove that our market has a lot to offer.
What is the role of every co-founder? And, is it hard running a business with three partners?
We believe in the power of three co-founders, because each one of us is giving their best in their field of expertise to make ‘Coushies’ a successful brand. Yasmine is handling the management, business development and collaborations with artists. Yousra is handling online selling and every other selling portal we deal with. As for Omar, he’s handling all the logistics, that includes inventory management and supervision.
We’re very proud we started ‘Coushies’ although home décor is far from our original field of expertise, but we’re glad we made this career shift, and we’re sure we’re able to exchange roles if the business and market needs so.
We’d love to know about your latest ‘Coushies’ collection…
Our latest collection is inspired by the vivid colors of flowers of spring. Most of the colors are very cheerful and the many shades of pink that represents love.
The artist behind the Spring Blossom collection is Tasneem El-Meshad, she is a very talented artist. She is known for her unique vibrant color palette, and won many prizes. She has also contributed her artworks in many international and local competitions.
We also would like to add that our cushions are limited edition and made in very limited quantities, and our customers get to have a printed and stamped certificate of authenticity.
