In 2020, Karim Abed was the CFO of a Texas-based homebuilder. The job paid well, he says, but he longed to start his own business and reconnect with his Egyptian heritage.
Fast forward to 2025 and that business is WYR, a menswear brand using Giza cotton, a legendary fabric, and small factories based in Egypt. The company is thriving.
In our recent interview, Karim discussed WYR’s initial struggles, subsequent growth and, yes, the benefits of Egyptian cotton and artisans.
Our full audio is embedded below. The transcript is condensed and edited for quality.
Eric Bandholz: Tell us who you are and what you do.
Karim Abed: I am the founder of WYR, a premium menswear brand that launched in 2020. My girlfriend, now my wife, designed WYR, which stands for “what would you rather wear”. I loved simplicity and stuck to it.
Prior to WYR, I spent nearly a decade in Texas working in finance, ultimately as CFO of a homebuilder’s real estate division. It was financially rewarding, but I wanted to create something of my own.
In the end, I decided on clothing because of family ties in Egypt. I hoped to reconnect with my culture and heritage by making quality items—shirts, pants, boxers—from Egyptian cotton, a well-known product.
In January 2020, just before the pandemic, I traveled to Egypt with fabric samples and refined patterns that I had been working on for six months and launched in July of that year.
I learned from my mistakes. I kept my finance job to finance the business so I could afford to lose a few bucks. We lost a decent amount of money in the first and second year. Covid unexpectedly helped me by letting me work from home and focus on WYR after hours.
Bandholz: When did you fully commit to the clothing company?
Abed: We only sold 1,000 units in the first six months and generated only $20,000 in the first year. Once I improved our selling proposition – premium Giza cotton, precise fit, great reviews – sales skyrocketed. Sales jumped to nearly $1 million in year two. This growth gave me the confidence to go full time.
Many clothing brands order from large factories, often in Eastern Europe. The thing has another way. I come from Egypt and work with small artisan workshops instead of big manufacturers. Our main facility is run by a craftsman with 35 years of experience. She still sews and manages a team of 15.
Partnering with these artisans ensures meticulous quality and allows for custom details such as curved hems, unique stitching and customized armholes that large factories would not accommodate. We give them enough business to focus only on WYR.
To maintain standards, we have added our own quality control team to these small factories. This hands-on approach allows us to maintain the craftsmanship and shape that define our brand while responsibly scaling production.
All told, we use six factories, depending on demand. Everyone specializes in a skill. For example, one focuses on chinos because it has the right equipment for twill cotton, while another deals with our curved hems, which require precision stitching. We match each product to the equipment that best suits the craft.
It took months to build this network. Through my wife’s family connections, I met an experienced production manager who joined our team. He helped us test many small workshops, drop the ones that didn’t meet the standards and add new ones as needed.
Today, we have eight employees in Egypt, including quality control, inventory and production managers. We also operate a small warehouse. We operate lean, we produce as needed. Owning our yarn allows us to remain flexible and maintain a tight inventory while ensuring consistent quality.
Bandholz: What is the difference between Egyptian and Giza cotton?
Abed: Giza is a specific strain of long-lasting Egyptian cotton, graded by location and fiber type. It is rare and regulated by the government. Most “Egyptian cotton” products are not actually Giza. We ensure production by reserving approx. 10 tons of yarn from a trusted textile company and verifying it ourselves.
Consumers may think that a t-shirt is machine-made from start to finish, but for us, skilled work is critical. Drawing and layering patterns, precise cutting and careful sewing all affect the final quality. Every step – from picking the cotton to spinning, dyeing and sewing – takes place in Egypt.
Our cotton is expensive. It’s the highest entry price for our t-shirts. Cheaper alternatives are available in countries such as China, Bangladesh and India. China in particular excels in synthetic athletic fabrics. But when it comes to the authentic quality of Giza cotton, Egypt is second to none.
Bandholz: You have succeeded in apparel, a competitive industry.
Abed: The challenge was to convince consumers – who can’t feel our shirts online – of their value. We relied heavily on ads with quick and engaging messages about our fit, Giza cotton fabric and simple, logo-free style. This built enough trust and reviews to drive repeat purchases, which remain our biggest growth engine.
For minimalist basics, it is not realistic to go viral. Our appeal is understated comfort and timeless quality, not flashy logos. Instead, we focus on steady customer acquisition and retention.
I soon hired several marketing agencies, but none cared as much as I did. With my financial and analytical background, I realized that I could do most of it myself. Now I handle advertising strategy with one team member, I only outsource content creation. For promotions like Black Friday, we plan campaigns, put creative into our ads and closely monitor performance.
Bandholz: How do you find content creators?
Abed: We produce podcast episodes in-house. Agencies create funny ads and our customers generate reviews and testimonials. I find creators on Instagram who fit our minimalist vibe and then challenge them to create authentic posts.
Surprisingly simple flat photos – just a well-styled shirt and trousers – work exceptionally well, although they are difficult to photograph, so we outsource some of this work. The key is constant iteration and different creative sources to keep the ads fresh.
I prefer creators who really like our t-shirts over those who are chasing paychecks. Some accept products in exchange for content. I avoid expensive “pay-to-play” deals because the audience can sense inauthenticity.
We briefly tried a large public relations agency to get exposure, but it felt off the mark. I’d rather grow from the bottom up than pay athletes or influencers five figures for sponsorships. Authenticity is more important than big name endorsements.
Bandholz: What is your next growth phase?
Abed: We intend to scale carefully. Having a single factory focused only on us would be great. I’ve even toyed with opening my own facility, but that’s a whole other business.
In a perfect world, I would own every part of the supply chain, from production to sales. This gives customers the highest value and ensures the best quality. But I also value my life outside of work and want time with my family.
I’m not a fan of the “growth first, profit second” mindset. Some founders post losses for years before turning cash flow positive. I believe that the business should prove itself within two or three years. Scaling takes steps. You can’t jump from selling 200,000 shirts a year to 2 million overnight. The supply chain must be methodically expanded to maintain quality.
Bandholz: Where can people buy your shirts or reach out?
Abed: Our site is Wyrwear.com. We are also on Instagram. I’m on LinkedIn.