Writer: Lamia Gamil
Editor: Khaled Ibrahim
Jana El Sawi is a 19-year-old free-spirited writer, podcaster, and entrepreneur, who, despite her young age, has always had a strong sense of ambition, and has worked hard to become the person she’d always dreamed of being. As a culmination of her efforts, Jana was finally able to turn her dream into something tangible: ‘I Never Shut Up Anyway!’, a podcast that Jana started just last June, with the goal of shedding light on young, talented Egyptian artists. Through her podcast initiative, Jana wanted to open doors for untapped potentials, as well as create an active venue for artists to speak about their art, talent, and personal journey. By helping expose such talents, Jana wishes for her podcast to become a hub of inspiration for many of Egypt’s youth.
Jana truly believes in the great impact a role model can have in the lives of youth. With this mindset, she founded her podcast in order to encourage younger generations to chase their dreams and live out the impossible. But Jana’s series of successes didn’t stop here. Her journey took a sudden turn when she discovered her own profound passion for women’s rights and issues, leading her to start her own female-led feminist magazine. Yet, right before the magazine could see the light, Jana’s own versatile and creative personality led her to change her initial plans, and instead turn the project into something bigger and broader.
Jana had always been fascinated by clothes, fashion trends, and different styles. She believes that clothes are a big part of a person’s identity. Using this point of view, Jana decided to turn her magazine into a clothing brand, one that emboldens women’s confidence, resilience, while embracing their natural beauty and authenticity. Pink Pyramid was officially launched on March 8th, 2021 as a distinctive line that differentiates itself from a plethora of other clothing brands on social media. The project’s primary purpose is to allow young female artists to showcase their work and talents while sustaining their careers. As Jana said:
The thing about creative careers in Egypt is that they’re not easily sustained. Pink Pyramid is trying to change that, as here, fresh ideas are embraced and supported.
Jana ElSawi
Currently, Jana is managing the brand entirely on her own, all the while doing all she can to expand the business and recruit fresh talents. Jana’s dream is to become an incubator for innovation and creativity, for they are the inevitable currency of the future.
There is no journey without bumpy roads. Roadbumps aren’t only a necessary part of the ride, either; they’re important sources of experience that lead to maturity and expertise. Throughout Jana’s journey, she’s faced numerous obstacles, big and small. One of the most challenging hiccups was, as you may have guessed, the Covid-19 pandemic. But with persistence and dedication, Jana was able to pull things together and steer her projects in the right direction yet again. When Jana was asked where she sees Pink Pyramid in five to ten years, she replied,
The Pandemic taught me not to plan ahead that far. But if I’m being wild, I’d say we’d expand to benefit all types of artists, musicians, writers, etc..
Jana ElSawi
Jana is truly passionate about her dreams, and such passion is the key to her success. Her strong trust in fresh talents makes her confident enough to take risks and support those with potential. Pink Pyramid was founded with a clear mission to give women a chance to break free from limitations, oppression, and discrimination. And although many would call the brand eccentric for what it promotes, Jana’s two dominant pillars of success are honesty and acceptance of vulnerability. She believes that honesty is power. Honesty is walking the talk and delivering what you promise. In the same way, Jana regards vulnerability as a state of strength.
It’s only when we acknowledge and embrace our vulnerability do we rise back up stronger than before. Trends come and go, yet nothing stays solid and well-founded better than genuine things. Honesty and vulnerability are genuine.
Jana ElSawi
