The Founders
In the 1970s, Michel Pastore, a Swiss designer and potter, moved from France to Egypt with his wife, fellow potter Evelyne Porret. They settled to the village of Tunis in the oasis of Fayoum. In the warm climate of the desert, they raised their son and daughter and built a studio to continue their practice. In the early 1990s, Michel - a weaver himself - was invited by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives to help revive the traditional weaving craft in the village of Naqada in Upper Egypt. There, he worked closely with the weavers to reimagine motifs and develop techniques without altering the centuries old looms. Michel’s wide-ranging inspirations and references - weaving, pottery, architecture, landscape design - made him a multidimensional designer.
Sylva and Michel in the workshop Garden City, Cairo, 1999
Michel in the showroom Garden City, Cairo, 1999
Sylva Assilian is an Armenian Lebanese fashion designer. During her childhood in Beirut, she spent countless hours in her grandmother’s couture house, watching fittings, sketching and browsing through fashion magazines. Those early memories shaped Sylva’s artistic instincts. She began her studies in architecture before moving to Paris to study fashion. She came to Cairo in the late 1980s and built her own atelier on the roof of her building. Her work has always been inspired by tradition while creating pieces that feel timeless and deeply personal.
Nagada’s Story
In 1992 Michel and Sylva met for the first time over a sample of a handloomed textile from the village of Naqada. It was the start of a three decade partnership. They shared a commitment to every step of the craft. Over the years that followed, they devoted countless hours to washing, dyeing, ironing, cutting, sewing, and pattern making. Sylva describes their work together as, “a journey of the senses”. As two newcomers to the land, they were connected by their shared passion for Egypt; its colours, light and vibrations. NAGADA became an expression of their interaction with their adopted home. From the start, they chose to stay at the periphery of fashion—free from the industry’s rapid cycles—so they could design at their own pace and create a timeless style both rooted in tradition but never limited to one place or culture. As business partners, they traveled extensively through Asia, discovering new weaving practices, dyeing techniques, and artisanal methods that would enrich their designs. Michel’s passing in 2023 marked the end of an extraordinary creative journey, but his vision endures in the fabrics and forms he and Sylva brought to life.
