A knitting hall in one of Cottonil's factories

About Cottonil

Cotton speaks Egyptian

Since 1999 we have made cotton clothing for the whole family in our own factories in Egypt

We make every piece ourselves from yarn to packing so we know exactly what you are wearing

Founder and Chairman

Bassel Samakia

He grew up in a textile family and started working in the factory at twelve
He founded Cottonil in 1999 in a small Ain Shams workshop and ran the technical side of production himself
He still walks the production floor today

The beginning was not as easy as some might imagine

1999founded Cottonil

4factories in Egypt

13countries

From the chairman's letter

We were taught by our fathers and grandfathers that clothing spinning and weaving is one of humanity's oldest industries and that its trust passes from one generation to the next

Bassel Radwan Samakia

01The finest yarns
We use combed long-staple Egyptian cotton and add microfibre and Lycra where a piece needs extra softness and comfort
02The latest machines
We have developed our factories with the most modern garment-making machines
03Heritage and progress
We study the history of this industry and follow its progress to link the craft of the past with today's technology
04Every market's taste
We study Egyptian Arab and international tastes and that is what opened the door to exports
05First in Egypt
We were the first factory in Egypt to develop men's underwear for a new generation with designs prints and cuts drawn from international fashion

Our story

From a workshop in Ain Shams to 13 countries

1999
Six machines in Ain Shams
Cottonil began in a small Ain Shams workshop with six sewing machines and its founder did the technical work himself
Spain
The first export deals
At an international fair in Spain Cottonil caught the eye of major buyers and the first export contracts brought new machines into the workshop
2003
The first million
Four years after starting out Cottonil made its first million pounds
2017
Into the Gulf
Cottonil opened its first stores in Saudi Arabia through franchising
2018
Two Guinness World Records
We made the world's largest cotton undershirt and underpants for the Be Sure prostate cancer campaign that offered ten thousand free tests
Today
Four factories and 13 countries
More than 400 stores in Egypt and exports to 13 countries most recently Europe