Princess Reema Bandar al-Saud, chief executive of Harvey Nichols Riyadh, was frustrated that she was unable to find an attractive handbag that fit her lifestyle, so she decided to design her own. She is now the founder and creative director of accessories line Baraboux.
Bandar al-Saud spent most of her adult life in Washington, DC before returning to Riyadh at age 30. She became the first female chief executive at her family’s retail company, Alfa International, which operates Harvey Nichols Riyadh.
She wanted to create stylish, compartmentalized handbags to make women’s lives easier. She got the idea for Baraboux when she began working at Harvey Nichols Riyadh and collaborated with a team of designers for eight years.
Last year, Bandar al-Saud launched her line of Baraboux handbags at Paris Fashion Week. The leather handbags, or “toolkits,” are designed to be practical, with pockets for multiple mobile devices and tablets, adjustable handles, removable pochettes, and detachable clutches to allow owners to use them to suit their needs and lifestyles. The designs were inspired by Bedouin tribes’ practical way of life. The bags are handcrafted in Florence with Italian leather, and the hardware is bespoke. The handbags are priced between contemporary and luxury bags.
The Baraboux handbags are now sold in specialist boutiques and retailers around the world, including Browns in London, Saks Fifth Avenue in the Middle East, By Marie in Paris, and Apparenza in Russia. The company also ships its bags internationally.
Bandar al-Saud wants to expand Baraboux into more markets, broaden its travel offerings, and eventually open stand-alone stores with a curated selection of other products. She has hired London magazine editor Caroline Issa as a creative consultant for the autumn-winter 2014 collection.
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