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Although it's not yet globally well-known, Egypt has a furniture design industry that is working its way up the market. Formerly competing with the likes of China, Egypt has started to realize the flaw in this strategy: "We will never be able to compete with China based on cost," says [Ihab Derias, Vice President of Egypt's Furniture Export Council]. "We have to have a value added if we want to make it in international markets."

That value, Derias realizes, is going to be design. With a rich history of furniture design going back at least 2,500 years, Derias and others on the council are trying to tap Egypt's design strengths, as well as pulling in outside heavy-hitters like Karim Rashid. Read Business Today Egypt's article on the design turnaround here.