Belquis: Luxurious handbags inspired by Italy

Designer Reem Salman is the founder and designer of the Belquis handbag brand, which is known for its impeccable high-quality leather, structured designs and flawless attention to detail. Covering a range of styles, shapes and textures, the versatile handbags and clutches are perfect for any wardrobe, both fashionably and functionally.
Hand-crafted in Italy, Belquis is inspired by the Italian culture, yet also reflects Middle Eastern roots and traditions. Each and every handbag from every collection is made from the finest vegetable tanned leather along with the highest level of craftsmanship, characteristics and qualities that can only be found in Belquis bags.
We had a chat with the designer to learn more about her handbag journey, her brand and future plans.

Who is Reem Salman?
Reem Salman is a woman living life to the fullest, taking advantage of every moment and enjoying the journey while doing so. I am a proud mom of two, a handbag designer, an entrepreneur and also a lawyer.

How did your love affair with handbags start?
My affair started when I came across fine Italian leather and I knew I needed to introduce some of the finest tanneries and craftsmanship to the region. It all started during my various trips to Italy, where I fell in love with the vachetta leather. The vachetta is the heart and soul of Tuscan leather-making, it is vegetable tanned — a traditional method of tanning that requires experienced craftsmen where raw hides are placed in pits or barrels with natural tannins from tree barks, roots and flower pods for around 40 days to tan creating unique pieces.

When and how did you decide to find your own handbag brand?
It was the fall of 2012, when I thought that meeting the right supplier who can materialize my passion for quality leather handbags was an opportunity that I should not miss. I dropped him an e-mail and I got a reply the next day and a month later I was in Florence and the journey started.

What inspires you when designing a new line?
Inspiration comes from a flower, a night in Tuscany, the beaches of Positano, a working woman’s need for a stylish career bag, a winter bouquet while on a ski trip, etc. So I can’t limit it but I can say that I’m always inspired when I go to Italy to design my next collection. Italy is so dreamy and you can always count on it to channel your inner fashion designer instincts.

What sets you aside from other handbag designers?
We stay true to our quality, we are handmade so we don’t mass produce bags. In that we make sure each lady carrying a Belquis bag feels very exclusive and does not run into another lady carrying the same piece. We are a luxury brand but at the same time a local one, so we make sure our clients get similar quality of major brands but in affordable prices. We love staying trendy but creating classic pieces at the same time, so we come up with concepts like the trendy backpack and we mix it with exotic leathers in the most fashionable hues producing a one-of-a-kind bag.

What attracted you to leather work?
It is not any leather work; I love hand-made leather work which is done the traditional way and using the traditional leather as it reflects the heritage and culture of Tuscany. I also feel there is a certain magic in the leather and a story behind every piece.

What are the differences between designing for the GCC market and other international markets?
The GCC market loves exclusivity and we cater to this market. Our clients love exquisite pieces. So we try to always launch new one-of-a-kind designs.

The brand name comes from the name of your close-knit group of female friends. Tell us more about this.
Those are important key figures in the lives of me and my husband, who we pay tribute to and salute through this process.
We have also chosen Italian names for some of the bags because we simply love them and the tradition of naming the bags gives each bag a soul. Our python bags took their names from my favorite baby girl’s name list, because those are the most precious bags, and Gabriella is the actual name of my daughter and I cherish it the most because it was one of the first designs I worked on.

What inspired the name of the brand? What is the story behind it?
Everything about the bags is related to Italy, the inspiration, the manufacturing and the leather but I wanted the brand to relate to us, to our region so I looked for a royal name to reflect the quality and the elegance of our bags and this is where Belquis came from.

Which Belquis bag is/are most popular in the Gulf?
The Sienna mini bag because it’s a very exclusive bag, there are four bags of each color only, and at the same time a very versatile bag. You can hand hold it or wear it across your body or wrap it as a belt around your waist. This timeless mini bag sized to fit necessities is also hand colored and shaded making each bag more unique and exclusive.

How is a Belquis bag made? What are the materials you use?
We make sure we use vachetta leather in each collection, whether alone or in combination with other leathers. We also included exotic snake skin and pony hair in the latest collection. Each bag is drawn on the leather and hand-cut and handmade piece by piece by the finest of Italian craftsmen in small Florentine family run factories. Some bags are hand painted to add to the exclusivity and the rest are tanned at the finest Italian tanneries.

If you were to design a bag specifically for one person, who would it be and why?
I have always based the designs on myself, because I am a woman who has transitioned from being a career-driven woman to a mom and a fashion designer so I think I have it covered! Honestly, I try to always think of all women’s necessities and then make a bag and stress test it for a while before I launch it in the market.

What has been your greatest achievement in your career to date?
It depends on how you define “career” as I have two. But for sure launching Belquis and the success we achieved so far is my greatest achievement that I am truly proud of.

What are you working on right now?
We are working on a very colorful and vibrant SS17 collection with some exquisite pieces and shapes, we will still include some of our key pieces but we will add new exciting models.

Where do you sell your collection and where do you want to sell?
We are still selling online but we look forward to stocking in some of the more prestigious department stores in the region. We will announce it once it is final, but for now you can always visit our website for orders.
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Email: [email protected]