From Sarah with love

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feminine, fresh, and fashionable. It is full of life and down to earth. It is distinctive, vivacious, and elegant with a touch of retro glamour and a street-wise sensibility. It is modern, stylishly aware and socially responsible.

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Their story

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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 fifteen-year civil war and are now contributing to rebuilding the city’s cultural life through their work in various creative industries.

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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 female prostitution and women prisoners in Lebanon. She realized 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 is stylishly aware and socially responsible at the same time.

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Sarah decided to set up her company as part of a rehabilitation program, whereby women at risk from economic depravation or the stigma of having served time in prison would learn valuable skills in return for a reliable income and a stable 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 turned out to be successful, innovative, and highly efficient.

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As the company expanded, Sarah teamed up with her friend Sarah Nahhouli. 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 neighborhood near Downtown Beirut that is a mix of antiquated cosmopolitan charm and youthful urban energy.

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Sarah & Sarah's message

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By buying "Sarah's bag" you are sharing our passion and fascination for different cultures and our endless search for new ideas. More importantly, you are now part of our aim to help underprivileged women and prisoners who rely on this unique enterprise for their livelihood, helping them maintain their self-esteem and dignity.

Each bag, as distinctive as the person carrying it, requires 15 days of meticulous embroidery, beading and hand stitching, blending the styles and fashions of a myriad of cultures.

your support has helped us continue in our simple desire to create beauty with a social conscience.

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Queen Rania carrying one of their bags

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Don't miss SARAH'S BAG new summer collection at Beit Luthan

27th - 29th May 2007