“Don’t Go to Basateen At Night”

"Ne va pas à Basateen la nuit"

Introducing FW25: “إِيَّاك تروح البساتين بليل” (Don’t Go to Basateen At Night).

The campaign takes its name from a warning that echoed across generations: matenzelsh el basateen beleil — don’t go to Basateen at night. For those who came before, the phrase carried a sense of protection, rooted in fear and perception. Basateen, like many neighborhoods, was seen as dangerous—a place to avoid after dark.

The reality, however, was different. Basateen was where friends gathered, where nights stretched into laughter and togetherness. It was not a place of menace, but of warmth. A place that revealed how what seems intimidating from the outside often holds the deepest beauty within.

At night, Cairo itself transforms. Streetlights glow. Rooftops brim with laughter. Tea glasses steam on plastic tables. Music drifts through narrow alleys. This is the Cairo the world rarely sees—a city of romance, tenderness, and poetry.

The stories told about places—and about people—rarely match the truth. Growing up between East and West makes this especially clear. Within communities, warnings and assumptions often shape how people see one another. In the West, that same gaze extends outward—reducing the Middle East to a distant silhouette, misunderstood, its beauty and generosity overlooked. “Don’t go to Basateen at night” becomes an invitation. An invitation to step into the unknown. To linger where one was told not to. To discover the grace that hides in shadow. To close the distance between self and “the other”—whether across the street or across the world.

At the heart of this campaign is the FW25 collection: pieces designed for the intimacy of everyday life that slip easily between function and self-expression. From textured staples to directional silhouettes, each piece channels a distinct mood while remaining rooted in timeless wearability.


Présentation de FW25 : « إِيَّاك تروح البساتين بليل » (Ne va pas à Basateen la nuit).
La campagne tire son nom d'un avertissement qui a résonné à travers les générations : matenzelsh el basateen beleil — ne va pas à Basateen la nuit. Pour ceux qui nous ont précédés, cette phrase avait un sens protecteur, ancré dans la peur et la perception. Basateen, comme beaucoup de quartiers, était considéré comme dangereux, un endroit à éviter après la tombée de la nuit.

La réalité était toutefois différente. Basateen était le lieu où les amis se réunissaient, où les nuits se prolongeaient dans le rire et la convivialité. Ce n'était pas un endroit menaçant, mais chaleureux. Un endroit qui révélait comment ce qui semble intimidant de l'extérieur recèle souvent une beauté profonde.

La nuit, Le Caire se transforme. Les lampadaires s'allument. Les toits résonnent de rires. Les verres de thé fumant sont posés sur des tables en plastique. La musique flotte dans les ruelles étroites. C'est le Caire que le monde voit rarement, une ville romantique, tendre et poétique.

Les histoires racontées sur les lieux et les gens correspondent rarement à la réalité. Le fait d'avoir grandi entre l'Orient et l'Occident rend cela particulièrement évident. Au sein des communautés, les mises en garde et les préjugés influencent souvent la façon dont les gens se perçoivent les uns les autres. En Occident, ce même regard s'étend vers l'extérieur, réduisant le Moyen-Orient à une silhouette lointaine, incomprise, dont la beauté et la générosité sont ignorées. "N'allez pas à Basateen la nuit" devient une invitation. Une invitation à entrer dans l'inconnu. À s'attarder là où on vous a dit de ne pas aller. À découvrir la grâce qui se cache dans l'ombre. À réduire la distance entre soi et « l'autre », que ce soit de l'autre côté de la rue ou de l'autre côté du monde.

Au cœur de cette campagne se trouve la collection FW25 ; des classiques universitaires au minimalisme artistique, chaque pièce véhicule une ambiance distincte tout en restant ancrée dans une portabilité intemporelle. Conçue pour la vie quotidienne, la collection allie une coupe raffinée à des basiques superposables et polyvalents pour plus de liberté de mouvement et de confort.

Shop Fall/Winter 2025

Boutique Automne/Hiver 2025

Fall/Winter 2025

Stories of Nothingness from Everywhere

Histoires de néant de partout

The SS25 collection features expertly tailored pieces crafted from breathable, natural fibres—made for the warmer months ahead—offering a modern take on timeless classics. Pieces designed for long days, late nights, and doing nothing in between.

Stories of Nothingness from Everywhere is a story told by those who lived it. Directed and shot entirely by MENA creatives who grew up between cultures, the campaign gave them full creative control to build something deeply personal.

Photographed by Dexter Navy alongside Director, Mariam El-Gendy, the campaign stars emerging voices Abdallah Diab and Bader El Ramly—artists in their own right whose presence extends far beyond the frame. Together, this team bridges past and present, east and west, Cairo and London.

Spring/Summer 2025

Boutique Printemps/Été 2025

Tefnut

Crisp, Lightweight, Naturally Breathable

Frais, léger, naturellement respirant

Behind the Scenes

En coulisses

‘Grateful to have had my lifelong friend and brother, @zaatar, leading our trip in the White Desert for the Tefnut campaign. From growing up together running around the streets of Cairo, to diving, spear fishing, and exploring every corner of Egypt, your unwavering spirit and knowledge of the land has always been a compass for me.

Also a big thank you to Jilani and our amazing guides from the Farafrah Oasis for showing us the beauty and soul of the desert. It’s these experiences and friendships that continue to shape what Kotn stands for—honouring the timeless bond between nature, culture, and community.’

— Rami Helali, Co-founder and CEO

Shop the Collection

Acheter la collection

The Tefnut Collection

Denim is back. Always designed to go against the grain and defy traditional dirty denim practices, our denim collection is a cleaner, premium denim for your closet.

Explore our denim collection and discover your new favourite fit.

The Memphis Denim

Le Denim de Memphis

The Delta Denim

Le Delta Denim

The Antifit Denim

Le Denim Antifit

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Boutique Denim

The Art of Denim

“Inspired by the environment around us we created tactile natural textures that evoke easy elegance. Timeless shapes and earth tones that will live on season after season.”

-Halla, Senior Director of Product Design

Explore our favourite knits of the season to add to your collection.

Video by Crash Studios

The Maadi Collection

La collection Maadi

The Cable Sweater Collection

La collection Luxor Cable

The Hamatah Collection

La collection Hamatah

20% Off Knitwear

20% de réduction sur les tricots

The Art of Knitwear

The Fall/Winter 2024 Lookbook

Lookbook automne/hiver 2024

The Fall/Winter 2024 Collection

La collection automne/hiver 2024

El Nady

“Growing up in Cairo, El Nady shaped the first 12 years of my character, witnessing everyone of my firsts.

Where I took my first punch.
Where I smoked my first cigarette.
Where I had my first kiss.

Where we celebrated making the senior team, and opened acceptance letters to schools that would scatter us around the world.

A decade of lifelong friends messing around, having each other's backs, laughing, crying and everything in between. The joys and angst of childhood, all by the bench behind el piscine el adeem.”

— Rami Helali, co-founder and CEO

Shop the FW24 Collection

Acheter la collection FW24

FW24 El Nady

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Rejoignez la communauté Kotn !

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Fall/Winter 2025

By Team Kotn