Arab designers are making bags in everything from plated brass to braided palm leaf. These are six of them.
Surrah
Saudi designer Sara Al-Saeed draws on the coral stone facades and carved rowasheen of Jeddah’s Al-Balad district, translating the balconies into structured leather.
Okhtein
Egyptian sisters Aya and Mounaz Abdelraouf work in plated brass and hand-tooled leather. The label, worn by Beyonce and Kylie Jenner, operates a Dubai store and runs a bespoke service in Saudi Arabia.
Marzook
The Kuwaiti label’s sculptural resin and crystal minaudieres, built around oversized geometric hardware, have been carried by Ariana Grande, Ciara and Tinashe.
Elie Saab
The Lebanese couture house makes jute and leather minaudieres finished in gold hardware, built to partner the embellished gowns the label is known for.
Sarah’s Bag
Sarah Beydoun’s Lebanese label hand-beads and embroiders its evening bags through a team that includes female prisoners, ex-prisoners and underprivileged women across Lebanon. Beyonce carried its chili-print design.
Doum
Moroccan mother and daughter Samira and Yasmine Erguibi braid palm leaf and raffia into bags through a cooperative of 235 women artisans outside Marrakech.
