Kotn's Tefnut: Built for the Wild, Styled for the City

CairoScene

18-03-2025

Tefnut is a return to nature, a nod to Kotn's Egyptian roots, and a reminder that adventure begins with what you wear.
There's a certain poetry in wearing something that feels like it belongs to the land itself—something that carries the elements, resists them, and moves with them. Tefnut , the latest collection by Kotn is a return to the origins of textile craftsmanship. Designed with a utilitarian edge and crafted from 100% organic paper-touch cotton, the collection reimagines what outerwear can be—breathable, lightweight, water-resistant, and built to endure without the synthetic footprint of modern techwear.
For Kotn, this isn't just a design choice—it's a philosophy. The Canadian-Egyptian brand, founded in 2015 by Rami Helali, Benjamin Sehl, and Mackenzie Yeates, was built on a simple but radical idea: that fashion could be both ethical and essential. What started as an effort to reclaim the narrative of Egyptian cotton - long lost to the global fast fashion machine - and reconnect it to its land and its people, has since grown into a globally recognized label. Known for its minimalist, high-quality basics and its direct partnerships with farmers in the Nile Delta. Kotn has embedded itself in social impact, using its proceeds to fund schools in rural Egypt, a mission woven as deeply into its DNA as its textiles.
Tefnut is the next step in that evolution. Shot against the alien-white rock formations of Egypt's Western Desert, the collection is a tribute to nature's resilience—crafted with a fabric that echoes the durability of the landscapes it was made for. 'A lot of activewear today, if not all of it, is made with oil. It's plastic,' says Helali. 'We wanted to achieve the same results—being out in the wild, in the elements, experiencing the beauty of nature—without compromising what we stand for, which is natural fibers.'
The tightly woven cotton, a fabric that has existed for millennia, acts as an organic shield against wind and water. Over time, as it breaks in, it develops a lived-in softness, a personal imprint of every journey taken. Every detail in the collection serves a purpose—double-needle stitching reinforces the seams, pocket construction nods to heritage design, two-way zips allow for adaptability.
The campaign itself is a personal one. Helali grew up exploring Egypt's outdoors with his closest friend, Zaatar. 'We'd seen so much of Egypt together—whether it was spearfishing, diving, camping—and that was the genesis of this idea. How do we take these experiences we grew up knowing so well and bring them to life?' he says.
Bringing together a group of 26 people—including guides from Farafra Oasis, old friends, and creatives with backgrounds in extreme outdoor sports—the shoot became more than just a campaign. It became a shared experience, a reconnection to the land. 'That's what made it special,' Helali explains. 'Bringing all of these people together to experience the same adventures we had growing up.'
At its core, Tefnut is a reminder that fashion doesn't have to come at the expense of the environment. It can be both functional and natural, forward-thinking yet deeply rooted in history. And in a world where outdoor gear is increasingly built from synthetics, Kotn is offering something different—something that, like the desert itself, is shaped by time, wear, and the stories it collects along the way.