Sarah’s Bag Teams with Chloé to Empower Women

Beirut-based social enterprise, Sarah’s Bag collaborates with luxury-brand Chloé to create bags that are sustainable as they empower women through job creation.

Sarah’s Bag is a Beirut-based social enterprise and international fashion brand founded by Sarah Beydoun in 2000. Sarah made a mark in the fashion industry not through her experience in fashion but with her degree in sociology that led her to launch the company with the intention of empowering underprivileged women in Lebanon. Today,22 years since its inception, Sarah’s Bag employs over 200 disenfranchised Lebanese women, prisoners and ex-prisoners. Trained by the Sarah’s Bag team in the artisanal arts and crafts of the Middle Eastern region, these women go on to become valued and financially-independent members of society.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that when women earn their own money, they can change the fortune of their entire family. An independent woman is the master of her own destiny,” said Sarah. Today Sarah’s designs sell out within a matter of hours.

The brand is on a mission to keep traditional techniques alive and fresh by using them to interpret modern designs. And it is this intent that has led to this collaboration between two brands that believe in the importance of social sustainability and the empowerment of women, which sees the launch of Sarah’s Bag for Chloé.

The collaboration, which is expected to last a number of seasons, starts with Sarah’s Bag reimagining their wildly popular Woody style tote, this time in a nano size. The finished product is a completely crocheted Woody Nano tote with shoulder strap. The choice of technique, crochet is an homage to the Mediterranean craft that people in the region have grown up with.

Sarah’s mission started off as a college project centered around the rehabilitation of women at risk and female ex-prisoners and has burgeoned into one of the region’s leading and enduring social enterprises.

Sarah’s Bag’s attention to the fashion and design elements of the brand, has enabled their social enterprise to flourish, reaching far beyond their geographic borders. With the aim of creating timeless appeal with each of their pieces by infusing cultural motifs and techniques, Sarah’s Bag has carved an impressive niche in the international market for well-made artisanal fashion handbags and accessories, which have been seen on the arms of the world’s most influential women, Queen Rania of Jordan, Amal Clooney and Beyoncé to name a few.

Luxury brand Chloé, under the helm of Uruguay-born fashion designer and creative director Gabriella Hearst since 2020, continues the legacy of Chloé founder Gaby Aghion, and her long-term commitment to uplift women, rebalance gender-based inequalities, and promote inclusivity.

The goal, to create beautiful products with meaningful impact for people and for the planet. The newly coined term, ‘fair luxury’ seems to clearly reflect the ethos of both Chloé and Sarah’s Bag. The handbag, which retails at Euro 525 is available for purchase on the Chloé website.