{"id":13733,"date":"2026-01-12T10:24:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T15:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/?p=13733"},"modified":"2026-01-20T09:36:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:36:46","slug":"from-egypt-to-saskatoon-the-inspiring-journey-of-futurpreneur-mahmoud-gaber-in-transforming-textile-waste-into-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/blog\/from-egypt-to-saskatoon-the-inspiring-journey-of-futurpreneur-mahmoud-gaber-in-transforming-textile-waste-into-style\/","title":{"rendered":"From Egypt to Saskatoon: The inspiring journey of Futurpreneur Mahmoud Gaber in transforming textile waste into style"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>At the&nbsp;cutting edge&nbsp;of circular fashion, MAG Clothing Inc. is a Canadian brand turning textile waste into wearable innovation. Founded in Saskatoon by newcomer entrepreneur Mahmoud Gaber, MAG combines AI-powered design with pre-consumer fabric recycling to produce sustainable, on-demand clothing. With roots in Egypt\u2019s textile industry and support from&nbsp;Futurpreneur, Mahmoud is building a fashion tech company&nbsp;that\u2019s&nbsp;redefining production norms,&nbsp;one zero-waste garment at a time. We spoke with him about the inspiration,&nbsp;challenges&nbsp;and impact behind MAG\u2019s mission to make fashion smarter,&nbsp;cleaner&nbsp;and more circular.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Please tell us about yourself and your experience as a newcomer entrepreneur in Canada.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My name is Mahmoud Gaber, originally from Egypt and now based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where I founded MAG Clothing Inc.\u2014a Canadian fashion tech company focused on sustainability.&nbsp;Before arriving in Canada, I discovered Futurpreneur through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)&#8217;s pre-arrival services. Futurpreneur&#8217;s mission to support young entrepreneurs, including newcomers like me, instantly resonated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From day one, I committed to building MAG. Thanks to pre-arrival guidance and local settlement support, I quickly learned how to navigate Canada\u2019s financial system, taxes, and startup process,&nbsp;which gave me the confidence to move forward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Please tell us about your business, its origin story, your&nbsp;mission&nbsp;and vision.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MAG is a Canadian eco-fashion tech company tackling one of the industry\u2019s biggest issues: textile waste and overproduction. We use AI to design based on real customer preferences, producing only&nbsp;what\u2019s&nbsp;in demand and minimizing excess inventory. What sets us apart is our use of pre-consumer textile waste to create high-quality, affordable clothing, which turns leftovers into style.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our mission is to make fashion smarter,\u00a0cleaner\u00a0and more circular, with a long-term goal of zero textile waste.\u00a0Like many newcomers, accessing financing was a major hurdle, especially without\u00a0credit\u00a0history in\u00a0Canada.\u00a0Futurpreneur\u00a0believed in me when others\u00a0didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today,&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;focused on growing our customer base, building&nbsp;trust&nbsp;and preparing to launch our first concept store in Saskatoon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. What inspired you to start your own business in Canada?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in Egypt, I had hands-on experience in the textile industry, and I always dreamed of creating a fashion brand that puts sustainability and customer needs first.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I arrived in Canada, I&nbsp;immediately&nbsp;noticed a strong market opportunity. I started doing pop-up events and engaging directly with customers. Through surveys and one-on-one conversations,&nbsp;I found there&nbsp;was a real interest in our fabrics, our prices, and&nbsp;most importantly the idea behind MAG. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and that gave me the validation to keep going.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Long-term,&nbsp;I believe MAG&nbsp;has the potential to help create the first yarn made in Canada from local textile waste,&nbsp;which would be&nbsp;a game-changer&nbsp;for the circular fashion economy here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. What are some of your biggest wins since launching your business?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There have been a few exciting milestones&nbsp;I\u2019m&nbsp;really proud&nbsp;of:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We were\u202faccepted by North Forge \/&nbsp;ElevateIP&nbsp;to&nbsp;start the process of registering the\u202fintellectual property\u202ffor our recycled fabric.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I was\u202fshortlisted for a one-on-one meeting with Walmart\u202fat the\u202fWalmart Growth Summit, where&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;exploring the opportunity to become a supplier.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These milestones remind me that&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;on the right track and that our vision resonates with both consumers and industry leaders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5. How did&nbsp;Futurpreneur&nbsp;support your entrepreneurial journey?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Futurpreneur&nbsp;has played a foundational role in my entrepreneurial journey. As a newcomer with no Canadian credit history,&nbsp;Futurpreneur&nbsp;believed in me when others&nbsp;didn\u2019t. They connected me with a dedicated mentor, Sandy Sager from Premier Suits, whose support and expertise have been invaluable. I also benefited from mental health and work-life balance support through sessions with inkblot, by way of Futurpreneur&#8217;s collaboration with BDC, something I hadn&#8217;t expected but deeply appreciated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\u00a0Futurpreneur\u00a0Marketplace gave us a platform to\u00a0showcase\u00a0our products, and Futurpreneur&#8217;s workshops covered essential topics like taxes, government procurement, and business planning \u2014 all critical tools for building a sustainable business in Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6. What advice would you offer to newcomer entrepreneurs starting their businesses in Canada?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My biggest piece of advice: start small.&nbsp;If you can, begin your business as a side hustle while you get settled. It is challenging but it gives you the time to learn, test&nbsp;and adapt.&nbsp;Also, be flexible. Be open to feedback, stay humble, and always keep learning. Understanding the Canadian market, investor expectations, and customer behaviour takes time, but once you get there, the results are deeply rewarding.&nbsp;And&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;forget,&nbsp;there\u2019s&nbsp;a strong ecosystem of support out there. You&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;have to do this alone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7. What\u2019s&nbsp;the most important thing&nbsp;you\u2019ve&nbsp;learned about yourself as an entrepreneur?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve&nbsp;learned that&nbsp;I\u2019m&nbsp;persistent, consistent, and a self-learner.&nbsp;When I started MAG, I had to teach myself&nbsp;almost everything&nbsp;about Shopify, SEO, Google Ads, and social media marketing,&nbsp;just to get the store off the ground.&nbsp;Thanks to the\u202fDigital Marketing Skills Canada\u202f(DMSC) Fund and a&nbsp;growth marketing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfin-rcia.ca\/blogs\/community-manager\/2025\/06\/02\/growclass-lead-your-team-to-2025-growth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">program<\/a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;Growclass, funded by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/department-finance\/programs\/international-trade-finance-policy\/canadas-response-us-tariffs\/support-canadian-workers-employers.html?utm_campaign=pspc-enf-spac-fbe-supporting-canadian-workers-and-employers-25-26&amp;utm_source=ggl&amp;utm_medium=sem&amp;utm_content=ad-text_en&amp;adv=2526-828251&amp;utm_term=workforce+development+programs&amp;gad_source=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Upskill Canada<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;grant&nbsp;under&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfin-rcia.ca\/blogs\/community-manager\/2025\/06\/02\/growclass-lead-your-team-to-2025-growth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Government of Canada<\/a>,&nbsp;I was able to sharpen those skills.&nbsp;That helped me not only build the brand but also connect with more customers online&nbsp;and a supportive community.&nbsp;Being&nbsp;an entrepreneur forces you to wear many hats, but it also shows you what&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;truly capable of when you believe in what&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;building.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>If you are a newcomer entrepreneur like Mahmoud,<\/em><em>\u202f<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/program\/my-canadian-startup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>click here<\/em><\/strong><\/a><em>\u202f<\/em><em>to learn more about Futurpreneur&#8217;s&nbsp;My Canadian Startup program presented by TD Bank&nbsp;and make sure to check out our upcoming workshops.&nbsp;And&nbsp;if you are looking for financing with mentorship to start or buy a business&nbsp;in Canada,&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/offering\/core-startup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>click here<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;to learn more.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the&nbsp;cutting edge&nbsp;of circular fashion, MAG Clothing Inc. is a Canadian brand turning textile waste into wearable innovation. Founded in Saskatoon by newcomer entrepreneur Mahmoud Gaber, MAG combines AI-powered design with pre-consumer fabric recycling to produce sustainable, on-demand clothing. With roots in Egypt\u2019s textile industry and support from&nbsp;Futurpreneur, Mahmoud is building a fashion tech company&nbsp;that\u2019s&nbsp;redefining [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":13734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,10,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entrepreneurship","category-futurpreneurs-and-partners","category-social-impact-and-sustainability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}