Asmaa’s deep passion for Amazigh culture was the initial spark she needed to realize the importance of jewelry in the passing down of cultures and heritage. Hence, after years of studying for the Amazigh culture in general and their precious jewelry as a form of tradition in particular, she decided to found her startup in Italy through which she would be able to help different people represent themselves through the designs that they create using Asmaa’s artistic talents and skills. After her success in Italy, however, Asmaa was met with the challenge when trying to establish her business in Egypt.
In Egypt, Asmaa was not able to reach interested customers for her unique creations and was starting to doubt her unique designs as she was pressured by people around her to start creating jewelry that is similar to those already popular and present in the Eyptian market. Asmaa’s resilience helped her stay on her path for long enough till she joined Etijah’s tomooh program. In tomooh, Asmaa attended different sessions each informing and training her on different aspects of founding a startup in the Egyptian market. Additionally, the program functioned as a space that allowed her to raise her concerns and fears about her business design and brand. Her concerns were received by the mentors in Tomooh who have instead encouraged Asmaa to stay on the path she has been in and have also helped her add more value to her jewelry by letting her know that with enough engagement from her customers, she can make her jewelry function as a form of a familial heritage to be passed down within families for generations.
With this new motivation and knowledge, Asmaa seeks to not only present the Amazigh but also to use her skills and artistic talent in order to help her customers, regardless of their heritage and culture, to represent themselves by participating in the design of their jewelry to make sure that they best represent them. Asmaa said that she seeks for her statement “I am here, present, and different” to come true for both her startup and for all who seek representation all around the world.