The innovative ideas and creativity of Saudi youth have contributed to a huge growth in the number of business startups in the Kingdom.
And among them is Mine Bags, which has found success in the highly competitive handbags market with its interchangeable products that allow customers to alter the look of items by switching between different brooches and straps.
Accessories for its leather bags are designed and made by other Saudi startups, NGOs, and charities.
Noor Zahid, of Mine Bags, said: “We thought of adding something to the bags to make them attractive to Saudi youth. Originally, we looked at embroidery, but it was difficult to embroider on leather.”
However, after further research they came up with idea of personalized brooches and leather bags designed specifically for the purpose. The handbags are supplied with single or multiple holes for the attachment of decorative brooches which are either machined or hand embroidered.
“Mine Bags’ motive was to involve as many local NGOs and charitable organizations as it could. We aim to bring the right pin with the right bag, with the right hole, while maintaining elegance and coherence,” Zahid added.
The startup’s main challenge was to find a regular supplier of quality leather but when the raw materials it required could not be sourced in Saudi Arabia the search shifted to Tunisia.
The company’s first line used off-cut leather from mass-produced, high-end brands.
Zahid said: “The atelier we contacted to make our bags told us they had no use for the (leftover) leather, so we decided against buying excessive amounts of it and used what they provided.” This helped the brand to be sustainable and affordable, and reduced the amount of waste.
Mine Bags also offers embroidered straps, tote bags, small pouches, laptop bags, and other items and has expanded its range to include on-demand T-shirts.
Zahid pointed out that products were designed with versatility, uniqueness, slow fashion, and practicality in mind while ensuring that components were multipurpose.
“You can change the brooches to fit wherever you are going and can use the straps with other bags. The brooches can also be used on clothes and as headpieces,” she added.
Although the brand is currently only sold in Saudi Arabia, the company has signed a contract to start supplying to Bahrain.
“Because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic we have noticed that people are more interested in local brands and designers, which is enabling new designers to emerge.
“So, during the lockdown, we focused on our made-in-Saudi line and once everything was open, we were ready with production,” Zahid said.
She also revealed that the brand was collaborating with fashion designer Nasiba Hafiz. Mine Bags products are available on Instagram at @mineofficially.
Startup of the Week: Saudi startup adds bags of choice to popular fashion items
https://arab.news/5btqm
Startup of the Week: Saudi startup adds bags of choice to popular fashion items

- Saudi startup adds bags of choice to popular fashion items
Cartier exhibition brings regional celebrities to Dubai

DUBAI: French luxury label Cartier this week hosted its “A Journey of Wonders” high jewelry exhibition in Dubai, drawing a star-studded lineup of regional celebrities.
Among the attendees were Egyptian Montenegrin actress Tara Emad, Tunisian actor Dhafer L’Abidine, TV presenter Raya Abirached and entrepreneur and host Anas Bukhash. Each guest showcased Cartier’s signature pieces.
Emad wore pieces from the Trinity Collection, featuring a mix of pink, yellow and white gold. Her ensemble included Trinity earrings with black lacquer and diamonds, a matching Trinity necklace and bracelet, and a Trinity ring incorporating the same materials.
The actress, who recently debuted a new short haircut on Instagram to her three million followers, paired her jewelry with a tailored black pantsuit by Lebanese designer Elie Saab. The ensemble featured a structured blazer with sharp lapels and intricate gold stitching along the edges and pockets.

Abirached wore a black Magda Butrym midi-length dress featuring a strapless, structured bodice and an asymmetrical draped detail at the waist. She accessorized with Cartier’s Grain de Café collection, known for its intricate detailing. Her jewelry included Grain de Café earrings, a necklace and a ring, all crafted in yellow and white gold and set with diamonds. She completed the look with black open-toe heels adorned with floral embellishments.
Meanwhile, L’Abidine, who sported a black suit, chose a refined selection of classic Cartier designs, wearing a Santos de Cartier watch in steel paired with a Love bracelet in white gold.

Bukhash, on the other hand, opted for a mix of the brand’s signature pieces, including a Santos Dumont watch in yellow gold, a Juste un Clou bracelet in white gold, and a Love ring in white gold.

These stars, who also serve as ambassadors for the brand, have previously collaborated with Cartier and attended its events.
In 2023, Emad, L’Abidine and Bukhash walked in the brand’s runway show in Dubai.
That same year, in April, Emad starred in a Cartier campaign alongside L’Abidine, Tunisian-Egyptian actress Hend Sabri and Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek.
Saudi creative Sarah Taibah stars in Loewe’s Ramadan campaign

- Taibah shared behind-the-scenes photographs from the campaign shoot on Instagram, jokingly captioning the post “GCCCCC. The Gulf Cooperation Council Countries’ Cutest Creatives Crew, brought together by @loewe”
DUBAI: Spanish luxury fashion house Loewe has unveiled a Ramadan campaign directed by Lebanese Sudanese auteur Dana Boulos and starring Saudi actress and filmmaker Sarah Taibah and Saudi Olympic rower Husein Alireza.
The cast is rounded out by Omani artist Mays Almoosawi, Kuwaiti visual artist Najd Al-Taher, Emirati film director Sarah Al-Hashimi, Kuwaiti DJ Cascou and Bahraini contemporary artist Salman Al-Najem.
Taibah shared behind-the-scenes photographs from the campaign shoot on Instagram, jokingly captioning the post “GCCCCC. The Gulf Cooperation Council Countries’ Cutest Creatives Crew, brought together by @loewe.”
The campaign promotes the brand’s Silver Capsule Collection, its first-ever release for Ramadan by designer JW Anderson. With the concept, creative direction, casting and production by Between Us Boys Studio, and post-production handled by DAHOUL Studio, the clip focuses on a clock ticking down until iftar, the meal that breaks a Muslim’s fast during Ramadan.
The Silver Capsule Collection released at select stores the Middle East and at Harrods in London, on Sunday.
The collection sees the brand’s signature bags get a Ramadan makeover; the Puzzle bag appears in vetiver crocodile, while the Flamenco clutch and Squeeze bag are offered in metallic textures with intricate beading. The ready-to-wear selection boasts silky belted pajamas, soft nappa leather sets, and day-to-night silk dresses.
Los Angeles-based Boulos, who directed the campaign, has worked on short films, music videos, and fashion commercials for the likes of Mercedes Benz, Glossier, and Farfetch.
For her part, Taibah shot to fame for her show “Jameel Jeddan,” the first Saudi show starring, written, and created by a Saudi woman.
The plot of the 2022 release was anything but typical. Strong-headed Jameel wakes up from a five-year coma and is forced to finish her last year in high school and rejoin a society she no longer associates with. As a coping mechanism, she begins to experience glitches in the form of an animated alternative reality.
Taibah is currently working on off-beat Saudi romcom “A Matter of Life and Death,” which she wrote. The film is being directed by Anas Batahaf and will star Taibah and Yaqoub Al-Farhan.
Angelina Jolie stuns in Elie Saab at Critics’ Choice Awards

DUBAI: Hollywood icon Angelina Jolie turned heads on Friday at the Critics’ Choice Awards, wearing a gown by renowned Lebanese designer Elie Saab.
The dress was from the couturier’s spring/summer 2025 collection. It featured intricate lace detailing throughout, with a flowing, floor-length silhouette. The ensemble had delicate short sleeves, a cinched waistline that highlighted her figure, and a sheer overlay.
Jolie completed the look with a bold red lip that contrasted with the gown’s soft tones, and styled her hair in loose, effortless waves.
Demi Moore won best actress at the event, confirming her status as favorite for the Oscars.
Moore’s horror film “The Substance” won best original screenplay at the glitzy Los Angeles gala, and critics crowned “Anora” as the year’s best picture.
Moore’s triumph followed her victory at the Golden Globes in January, and puts her on track to cap a remarkable career renaissance at next month’s Oscars.
“This has been such a wild ride,” said Moore, 62, who made a string of hit films in the 1990s, but came to be known as much for her love life as her acting in subsequent decades.
That changed with “The Substance,” a body-horror flick about an aging celebrity who injects a serum to temporarily live again in her younger body.
Nodding to the film’s frequently bloody and horrifying depictions of warped bodies, Moore thanked critics for rewarding “this genre of horror films, that are overlooked and not seen for the profundity that they can hold.”
Mrs Keepa’s latest collection ‘La Boite’ is statement on breaking free

DUBAI: Mariam Yehia is the ultimate nonconformist. As the founder and creative force behind Dubai-based fashion house Mrs Keepa, her label is not defined by traditional fashion norms. Known for bold silhouettes, sculptural tailoring and avant-garde sensibility, Mrs Keepa thrives on individuality and reinvention. Yehia’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection, La Boite, takes this ethos even further — challenging stereotypes, embracing duality, and redefining fashion as a personal and cultural narrative.
At its core, La Boite, which translates to “The Box,” is a direct commentary on the limitations imposed by rigid categorization. “People are always trying to fit fashion, people and even cultures into predefined boxes,” Yehia said. “This collection is about breaking free from that.” Through structured silhouettes, boxy tailoring and unexpected design transformations, the collection encourages wearers to reinterpret fashion on their own terms. Each look can be styled in multiple ways — chic, casual or bold —offering a fluidity that reflects the modern woman’s ever-changing identity.

Yehia pulls out a black boxy short dress with multiple long pieces of fabric hanging from the padded shoulders and explains how the dress can be worn depending on the wearer’s mood. A client can wear the dress exactly as is — loose and androgynous — or she can tie the fabric and cinch the waist, or even layer it over a skirt and pair it with sneakers. “One outfit can have many different personas,” said Yehia. The same philosophy translates to her more sporty pieces featuring mesh and kimono sleeves — wear it wrapped around as a mini dress, or leave it open and pair it with leggings. Each ensemble gives you more than just a single look. A series of mini dresses with a scarf-like attachment will sell fast, as will the jumpsuit that can be deconstructed and worn as ultra-wide pants.

While every garment was impactful, the star pieces were undoubtedly the brocade ones. A dramatic thigh-length jacket, shorts and trousers in luxurious brocade were given the sporty treatment through contrast piping — highlighting the polarities of us as individuals. Elsewhere, denim garments engineered to perfection catch the eye. An edgy denim jacket retains a cinched look even when unbuttoned, while jeans with the waistband folded over featuring sparkling embellishments add a maximalist touch. Loyal Mrs Keepa clients will also be drawn to a red crepe number with exaggerated shoulders and high low layering of fabric, which can be both modest and sexy. Potential buyers might also enjoy her experimentation with feminine lace — a rarity for Yehia.

Mrs Keepa has always thrived on storytelling through fashion, and La Boite is no exception. Beyond its sharp tailoring and experimental silhouettes, the collection holds a deeper meaning: A rejection of stereotypes, particularly those imposed on Middle Eastern people. “We’ve been framed for too long. For years, global fashion dictated that for a designer to be successful, they had to be recognized internationally first. But why? Why can’t we build a strong foundation in our own region first, before expanding outward?” She speaks of the diversity of designs within the region itself and of the uniqueness of each Arab designer, whether it is refined tailoring, cool streetwear, maximalist silhouettes or modest fashion. “Despite this diversity, we are still stereotyped. This collection challenges the rigid perceptions that frame the Middle East as a monolithic culture, often diminishing its significance.”
Yehia delivers a collection that is both metaphorically and literally transformative. Whether through adjustable silhouettes, unexpected layering or garments that can be styled in various ways, each piece invites the wearer to reshape, reinterpret and make it their own. “Fashion isn’t just about clothing — it’s about identity, emotion and the freedom to express yourself beyond predefined labels,” Yehia said. La Boite is an invitation to step outside the box — on your own terms.
Les Benjamins makes its debut at Dubai Fashion week

DUBAI: Les Benjamins, the Istanbul-based brand renowned for blending Eastern and Western influences, made its debut at Dubai Fashion week.
Led by creative director Bunyamin Aydin and by head of women’s wear Lamia Al-Otaishan Aydin, the pair presented the Autumn/Winter 2025 collection on Wednesday.
Drawing inspiration from the Altai region, the “Altai Turks/Altaicana” collection blends traditional cultural elements and modern fashion.

The collection draws inspiration from the Altai people’s harmonious relationship with nature, their ancient traditions, and the mythology that shapes their cultural identity.
Featuring a neutral color palette such as those found in nature, such as warm browns, forest greens and even pieces depicting mountain ranges, the collection is a direct reflection of nature.
The Saudi designer said the collection was inspired by her husband, the brand’s creative director.

“Bunyamin Aydin, our creative director, came up with the concept and direction. It’s about going back to his roots and Turkic Altai region,” she said.
When asked about her favorite piece, the designer said it was too hard to select just one.
“Some of my favorites are the green leather jacket with all the curves that represents the Altai mountains. My other favorite is the long red coat with sheep’s fur,” she said.
The show featured fashion influencers from the region including Jullz Bek, Basil Alhadi and Osied Al-Shwaihan.

Lamia’s Saudi heritage plays a big role in the brand’s presence in the Middle East and the UAE, with special collections featuring Arabic letters and design elements.
Founded in 2011, Les Benjamins has outlets in the UAE and a strong online presence in the market.
The brand has collaborated with the likes of Nike, Daniel Arsham, Apple, Puma, and many more.
The city’s official fashion week, co-founded by Dubai Design District and the Arab Fashion Council, reinforces Dubai’s status in the international fashion landscape.
Hosting labels such as Moschino, Jean Paul Gaultier and Carolina Herrera, Dubai Fashion Week has welcomed designers from all over the world while also fostering homegrown talent.