The downturn has also uncovered a new trend: A dwindling appeal for logos associated with lavish lifestyles. Exclusivity is no longer restricted to expensive brands. There is a growing consensus that less is more and that anonymity is the key to being recognized.
This tendency has triggered women’s interest for small and unknown brands. Nihal Basha is one of them. The brand is the brainchild of Cairo-based Nihal Basha who was a freelance food stylist before she started her handbag business.
“It all began when I decided to design my own bags, which my friends loved. So, I started creating more bags…People enjoyed the style and believed the price was a good value for money. I am still here and I am hoping to maintain a wider fan base not only in the Middle East but worldwide,” said Basha.
She defines her style as simple and authentic. “A bag is a very important accessory for every woman. It simply identifies her. Over and above, we need practical bags to fit our daily life style,” she says.
Basha favors unfussy shapes like the tote, the perfect carryall for these post-luxury recessionary times. A tote bag is large and open with a handle centered atop each side. The standard blueprint includes one large pocket, occasionally with dividers or small inset pockets. Most totes provide some type of closure, typically a zipper, tie or magnet at the top opening.
It is interesting to know that the signature trend of tote bags began in 1944 when LL Beans designed a basic canvas bag for the boater crowd. Women were immediately attracted to the practical side of this bag.
The tote became common in the 1950s, a time when women’s handbags focused more on practicality rather than style. Then, Bonnie Cashin, a popular Coach designer, created the Cashin Carry tote bags in the 1960s. However, it was really the genial Kate Spade who transformed the basic tote into a feminine and stylish bag. The tote has become an indispensable accessory ever since.
Basha has introduced a popular line of practical and stylish totes. This versatile “everything” bag is available in many colors including an eye-catching leopard print leather.
Beside her best-selling items, “El Hayat” and “The Coins,” her iconic bag decorated with 50 piaster coins, Basha also specializes in clutch bags, which unlike tote bags, are not a modern invention. Women used them already at the end of the medieval period. Clutch bags were very popular during the 19th century but died out at the turn of the 20th century. However, as a result of the numerous shortages, including leather during World War II, small bags became fashionable again and the clutch bag was reborn.
There has never been such a great variety of clutches available on the market as at the present day. Basha has designed a collection of low-cost, elegant clutches that are also suitable for evening wear.
More than ever, handbags are made in all kinds of styles, shapes, sizes, materials and purposes. They have become along with jewelry, shoes and belts, an indispensable accessory that flaunts your personality.
And if you are wondering what is the best way to take care of your handbags, you should first stay away from all those sprays, which claim to protect them. Different leathers have different reactions, and the result might not be what you had originally intended for. Wiping your leather bags with a clean cloth is a good way to care for your bags. One should also not forget that leather has memories. You should not store your bags on top of each other because that will alter their shape into an irreversible form.
Basha’s bags are available in Egypt, Dubai and Beirut, but she acknowledges that most of her sales are done on the Internet. “Many women buy online; it’s a matter of convenience!”
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