Egyptian Brand Jackie’s Puts a Playful Spin on Designer Art Toys

Have you met Metwally yet?

Egyptian-born design brand Jackie’s creates designer-inspired art toys and sculptures, but this year, siblings Farah and Abdelrahman Noweir decided it was time to give the brand a universe of its own. Their first original character is Metwally, an Egyptian panda who takes his lounging seriously, with a relaxed sitting pose and the kind of unbothered attitude that makes him right at home on a bookshelf or coffee table.

“We wanted to start with an animal we’re obsessed with: the panda! Beyond all the panda memes on our FYP, we love their unbothered, chill personality, no matter what chaos is happening around them,” says Farah Noweir, Founder and Creative Director of Jackie’s. “We think a little bit of Metwally lives in many of our customers!”

Farah, a filmmaker with a background in art and design, and her brother Abdelrahman, an engineer with a passion for furniture manufacturing, started Jackie’s as a side hustle to spend more quality time together. Working out of a small workshop, the siblings began experimenting with materials and forming their ideas themselves.

The siblings named the brand after their first dog, Jackie, as a way to hold on to a little piece of her after losing her. The workshop has since grown to include manufacturing art toys for other brands, including pieces designed by some of Egypt’s top designers, as well as collaborations with brands, developers, and design firms on customised installations.

“Most of our characters were inspired by pop culture, but this year, we decided it was time to take Jackie’s from just another sculpture page to a brand with its own original characters and universe,” Farah explains.

For their first original character, the siblings landed on a panda. Since pandas are native to China and the chances of spotting one in Egypt are slim, they decided to create their own, giving him a distinctly Egyptian name and a personality that felt familiar.

His design and sitting position were partly inspired by Egyptian actor Bayoumi Fouad’s viral meme, which captured the laid-back energy the siblings wanted for their character. The result is a glossy, handcrafted figure made from polyester resin and finished with automotive paint, designed to bring a playful touch to a shelf, console or coffee table.