From desert oasis, to the catwalk
By Sylvia Smith for CNN
SIWA, Egypt (CNN) -- Embroidery lies behind a very peaceful revolution in the very traditional Egyptian oasis of Siwa.
The small patch of green near the Libyan border boasts the Greek hero Alexander the Great as its first tourist.
There the women are covered from head to toe and have no contact with the outside world.
But now their stitches are on show on the catwalk in Milan, thanks to a far-sighted go-between, Laila Neamatallah.
She is from Cairo and spends time at the oasis with her brother who is building a "salt" village using the mud from the lakes that surround the oasis.
When on holiday in Siwa, an Italian fashion designer -- one half of the Ermanno Scervio house -- spotted the Berber stitches on clothes sold in the local market.
Through Laila he talked to the women about producing embroidered fabric to sell. Previously it had only been used for wedding trousseau in the oasis and in the only four colors known to the women.
The complexity and quality of the embroidery had been declining. But they were keen to earn money and so began an extraordinary collaboration with Laila as the intermediary.
The women were trained with the help of a grant from the British Embassy in Cairo. Many of them still do not leave their homes and still use the traditional stitches and patterns. Now they have added other colors to their palette.
But the big difference is now it is the employed women who have more money than the men. Their hand work is integrated in the exclusive, expensive garments that the Italian cutting edge house send down the cat walk.
The pieces of fabric are sent from Italy to Siwa where the original panels, collars, cuffs etc. are delicately and patiently hand stitched.
Then they go back to Florence where the glamorous end products are even more painstakingly assembled. It is also good illustration of how the Middle Eastern aesthetic is being integrated into Western products
It is the women of the oasis of Siwa who are at the center of a revolution that is influencing other areas of life in there. The success of the seamstresses has encouraged the oasis to look outside and seek out foreign markets for its main product.
 In Italy wealthy women sport the clothes because they are chic and hip. |  |
In the case of the embroidery, the way it works is that the part of the garment that is to be embroidered is sent to Cairo, from there it continues its long journey to the oasis where the Siwan women work to produce designs that change from season to season.
The fabric then begins its long journey back to Florence. This relationship works well for everyone.
Under a Egyptian fiscal incentive known as "draw-back" the transaction attracts no tax.
The Italian designers are delighted to have something authentically Islamic on their garments -- it is quite unique and can never be replicated. The Siwan women are now able to afford home comforts.
The 300-strong oasis workforce is mainly unmarried women (although a number of married women do work from home).
Previously they were treated as the "slaves of the family". Now they can earn twice as much as the men. Their status has changed beyond recognition.
For example earning their own money allows them to be selective when it comes to choosing a husband -- or deciding not to marry at all.
In Italy wealthy women sport the clothes because they are chic and hip. They are only just beginning to learn the origins of what they have on their backs.
