A shade for every bag, a bag for every woman

Bags and Shades, a two-day women-only event organized by Tanween Design Boutique, displayed pieces of designers’ talents from across the Middle East. Their pieces varied from furniture to bags, shades and paintings.
The event showcased works of four designers, including Maha Attar and Ghalia Edrees from Saudi Arabia, Alice Edde and Ghita Abi Hanna from Lebanon and District brand from Kuwait.
Paintings by famous artist Kristjana Williams were made exclusive at the boutique during the event.
Tanween Design Boutique is an initiative of Tashkeil, a social enterprise that fosters independent designers in the Middle East that targets to revitalize the region's heritage as an extensive focus for design, art, architecture and culture.
The design boutique serves as a platform to showcase the work of independent Middle Eastern designers in an exclusive showroom.
“Every year, we have four events. We hold such events not to just sell products but to unveil the creativity of these designers and promote them. The creative economy here in the Kingdom is basically ignored and it depends on the human capital,” said Sofana Dahlan, CEO and founder of Tashkeil.
“Bags and Shades” serves to outline the modern feminine mystique and the array of lifestyles that a woman chooses to lead in this modern-day world. The main objective of this event is to laud women’s choices and their different roles in society.
“Basically, I came up with the whole ‘Bags and Shades’ concept. It feels great to have my designs displayed. I portrayed Islamic designs in a contemporary way on the furniture and some of the shades were inspired by origami,” said Ghalia Edrees, Saudi interior designer and founder of Al Ghalia Interiors.
The motto of the event, “A shade for every bag, a bag for every woman,” illustrates living life to its fullest, as every part of life has its corresponding shade.
Different types of bags with different styles were displayed ranging from clutches and evening bags to baby bags and bags for a businesswomen and so on. Contemporary furniture and shades for every bag added color to the evening.
Sponsors of the event included Design Magazine, Al Ghalia Interiors, The Loft Creative Hub, T.Y. Lounge and Cocoon Mag.
“What I love about Tashkeil is that their work is very detailed and they make sure that everything is perfect. The ‘Bags and Shades’ event is more like a design museum where works of designers are displayed, which is very rare in Saudi Arabia. As you enter the place, you won’t believe that it is in Saudi Arabia,” said Kholoud Attar, founder and creative director of Design Magazine.