These buttery soft yet structured bags are inspired by dance

Why she created S.Joon

Credit: S.Joon

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“I decided to see if I could make some and voila, S.Joon was born! It took several years of research and learning, before it became the brand as I know it now,” Sahar explains.

“I am often guided by the same inspirations I had during my dance career,” she shares. “I think about the body, form and the visual outcome.”

The Fall/Winter 2021 collection was conceived during the isolation period in the UK, where Sahar is based now.

“I was revisiting my dance roots and consuming videos of works such as Matthew Bourne’s 1988 Spitfire and reading about Alwin Nikolais’ 1964 Sanctum,” she shares.

“I was immersed as the dancers manipulated their bodies to create incredible lines and shapes, which led to the design of our new bag of the season, the Shell. The shape balances softness with structure and evenly irregular lines.”

The bags are made using quality Italian leather and constructed by expert artisans in Italy. As part of S.Joon’s ongoing sustainability efforts, Sahar aims to prevent excess stock.

She shares: “Our factory is now zero carbon emissions. We have designed previous collections with only deadstock leather, and continue to do this as much as possible.”

Each part of the bag is made in Italy to ensure that each product’s carbon footprint is kept to a minimum. Sahar adds: “As a small brand, we have to continue to be nimble and adapt, bringing more conscious elements into the business as we grow.”

Her designs have caught the attention of Net-a-porter. In 2020, S.Joon was selected as one of the four brands to join the luxury e-retailer’s designer mentorship programme The Vanguard, paving the way for the young brand’s success.

While the pandemic has brought about challenges, Sahar remains optimistic: “Handbags were probably one of the most redundant items during lockdown, but it also made us look at our bags through a new lens, thinking about the needs of our customers, the purpose of a bag and its function. There was almost a sense of optimism that came when we started picking up our handbags again, a sign of a return to some kind of normality – or whatever that new normal will be.”

From $371, at www.sjo.online