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AN intimate line of handcrafted, custom-made women's fashion accessories are now available in Bahrain - created by a pioneering designer with a social conscience.
Sarah Beydoun is the founder and creative director of Sarah's Bag. Born and raised in Lebanon, she belongs to a generation of Beirut-based designers who came of age during the country's 15-year civil war and are now contributing to rebuilding the city's cultural life through their work in various creative industries.
After studying sociology at the American University of Beirut, Sarah earned her master's degree from the Universite Saint Joseph, where she wrote her thesis on prostitution and women prisoners in Lebanon.
She realised she could combine her interest in bettering underprivileged women's lives with her love for fashion. In doing so, she created a robust young business that aims to be both stylishly aware and socially responsible.
Sarah set up her company as part of a rehabilitation programme, whereby women at risk from economic deprivation, or the stigma of having served time in prison, would learn valuable skills in return for a reliable income and a source of pride, dignity and empowerment.
In the process, these women would be helping to revamp the centuries' old traditions of artisans and textile makers in the Middle East for the purpose of invigorating contemporary fashion.
The arrangement has turned out to be successful, innovative and highly efficient, and as the company expanded, Sarah teamed up with her friend Sarah Nahouli.
By 2003, Sarah's Bag had outgrown its workshop in Horsh Beirut and moved to its current showroom nestled into the high-ceilinged, tile-floored rooms of a beautiful old building in Gemmayzeh, a neighbourhood near Downtown Beirut that is a mix of antiquated cosmopolitan charm and youthful urban energy.
Sarah's Bag began in 2000 as a modest collection of handbags. Over the past nine years, it has expanded to include beach totes, evening bags, clutches, and satchels, along with shoes, scarves, sashes, belts, bangles and beaded necklaces.
"Each piece requires 10 to 15 days of meticulous embroidering, beading, crocheting, and hand stitching to produce," she said.
As a result the company has won praise from fashion writers and commentators alike, who describe Sarah's Bag offerings as 'feminine, fresh, and fashionable'.
The aim was simple, added Sarah, to create a brand that remains 'full of life and down to earth'.
"It is distinctive and elegant with a touch of retro glamour and a street-wise sensibility. It is modern with a memory of what made our ancestors beautiful. It is stylishly aware and socially responsible," she said.
The Sarah's bag collection is now available at Seventh Heaven located on the first floor of Al A'ali Shopping Complex. It also includes printed bags that have images of famous Arab celebrities such as Umm Kalthoum and Omer al Sharif, which a store spokesman described as 'very distinct and eye-catching'.
