JEDDAH: Saudi designer Dania Shinkar founded her eponymous brand in 2020, when her research into Saudi Arabia’s fashion market identified a gap in the luxury accessories sector.  

“At the time, there were no Saudi brands dedicated specifically to handbags, and I saw an opportunity to be the first to focus on building a Saudi handbag brand,” Shinkar tells Arab News. “My background was originally in fashion textiles and print. Moving into handbags allowed me to bring together two worlds I loved: color, texture and surface design on one side, and structure and craftsmanship on the other.” 

Shinkar draws from vintage designs but approaches them from what she describes as a contemporary and playful perspective — experimenting with unusual shapes, material combinations, embroidery, hand-painting and statement hardware. 

“The design philosophy is very much about balancing the unexpected with the refined,” she says. 

The bags are produced in Italy in limited quantities, using what Shinkar describes as ethically sourced, eco-friendly materials, with the designer placing craftsmanship and sustainability at the heart of the brand while its designs explore the tension between nostalgia and contemporary fashion. 

Increasingly, Saudi Arabia itself has become part of that visual language. 

“I’ve always been incredibly proud to be Saudi. I love our people, our culture, our heritage, and I am especially proud of the incredible progress and transformation the Kingdom has experienced over the past few years,” Shinkar says. Her Saudi-inspired designs draw from places that carry personal and cultural significance, including Jeddah Al-Balad, the Jeddah Corniche, Diriyah and AlUla.  

“These places hold our identity, while the way I translate them — with energy, color and embroidery — reflects the evolving, creative Saudi Arabia of today. I want them to communicate the beauty of our culture, but also the creativity, energy and evolution of the Saudi Arabia we are experiencing now.” 

That idea of storytelling extends to the brand’s approach to customization, which Shinkar introduced relatively recently, beginning with a personal project. For her best friend’s birthday, she commissioned an artist to paint her friend’s dog onto one of her brand’s leather bags. The response from friends and family was immediate, which encouraged Shinkar to turn the idea into a service. “Personalization allows a customer to make a piece truly unique and their own,” she says. 

Customization, however, does not mean abandoning the original character of a design. Shinkar says each request is considered within the brand’s visual language, with the team sometimes advising on composition, placement or color so that the artwork complements rather than overwhelms the bag. 

Shinkar sees emotional connection as an important part of the future of fashion accessories, particularly at a time when fashion increasingly intersects with art and personal expression. 

She is interested in collaborating with more Saudi artists and creatives and finding new ways to translate their work into wearable objects. At the same time, she plans to continue developing the brand’s customization offering. 

“I love the idea of creating pieces that feel deeply personal and one of a kind for customers,” she says. 

Her ambitions point to a broader understanding of what a handbag can be. Rather than treating it solely as a fashion accessory, Shinkar sees it as a medium capable of carrying stories, whether those stories belong to a city, a culture, an artist or an individual. 

That perspective is perhaps most apparent in the way she talks about the life of a bag after it leaves the designer’s hands. “I would love for a Dania Shinkar bag to become something that carries memories,” she says. 

A bag might mark a milestone, become a gift or be worn at a significant event. “Ultimately, I hope our pieces are loved, kept and perhaps even passed down because the emotional value they acquire over time is what will make them truly special,” Shinkar concludes.