In a new two-storey building, scores of computerised machines cut reams of denim into different shapes as women in headscarves bend over new sewing machines. Other women scrub jean shorts with sandpaper to obtain that special, distressed, look.

The Lotus Garments Company factory is a hive of industry, one of many companies taking advantage of an Egyptian-US-Israeli trade agreement that has thrown a lifeline to the textile industry.