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Nathalie Trad’s Geometric Signature

For this month’s Spotlight, accessories designer Nathalie Trad talks to BoF about the unconventional design process behind her distinctive minaudières.
Nathalie Trad's 'Polygonia' clutches | Source: Nathalie Trad
By
  • Kati Chitrakorn

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Born out of an unusual amalgamation of seashells, stainless steel, bone and lacquered exotic woods, Nathalie Trad's clutches decorate one's hand like precious objets d'arts. The Beirut-born designer launched her accessories brand in 2013 and has swiftly drawn a devout following that ranges from fashion trendsetters like Olivia Palermo, Caroline Issa, Sienna Miller and Laura Bailey to bloggers Leandra Medine and Hanneli Mustaparta.

For Trad, her foray into design was inevitable. “I grew up in a family that was very artistic. My mother had a flower shop and my father ran an advertising agency, so I was exposed to different creative disciplines from an early age.”

In 2007, Trad earned a BA from Paris fashion school ESMOD where she specialised in accessories design, including leather goods, costume jewellery and textile creation. A year later, she relocated to New York to study fashion design and management at Parsons The New School for Design, during which she interned at Proenza Schouler.

“I was at Proenza Schouler for a year in the accessories and handbag department. I think that experience mixed with what I studied really set the ground for setting up my business,” said Trad, explaining that while she originally set out to make clothes, she felt that she couldn’t express herself the way she wanted to. “That’s when I thought I would give accessories a try.”

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Nathalie Trad clutches | Source: Nathalie Trad Nathalie Trad clutches | Source: Nathalie Trad

Nathalie Trad clutches | Source: Nathalie Trad

Trad’s architectural clutches, which ranges between $980 and $1610, take inspiration from geometry and scientific sequences in nature like the golden ratio. “I try to forget that I’m making a bag because I feel like that constrains me. You either have to fit something or it has to have certain dimensions or proportions – there are too many limitations. Instead, I’ll think about designing a building, a sculpture, or a piece of art. Once I have the idea, I’ll think about how to turn it into a bag.”

One of the things that sets her designs apart is that they are made up of seashells. “The Philippines is where we source our shells and where the bags are made,” said Trad, who oversees a design team of five in Dubai, while two members are based in the Philippines to help oversee production.

According to Trad, each clutch takes at least two weeks to be completed by artisans and can include over a hundred pieces of shells. “A lot of craftsmanship goes into every bag. We pick the shells from the beach and it’s treated to remove the rough layer. The shell is then polished as much as possible, cut in the right shape and inlayed piece by piece. Then all the other materials are added, the lining inserted and the finishing touches applied.”

Working with non-conventional materials, however, has its challenges. “It takes a lot of time to test and understand how a material will react to certain conditions. We’ve used wood in the past, but it has to be drier wood with a lower pH level, so that it’s not too easily malleable. We have to make sure that whatever it is we’re using stands the test of time and various temperatures from moisture or humidity.”

While Trad set off with an initial investment, the brand has since thrived on its own product sales. “We’re completely self-funded now. People are still discovering us but the response to my pieces so far has been overwhelming. We’ve grown well enough to be able to sustain ourselves.” Indeed, today Trad has 21 stockists in 14 countries, including Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdales in Dubai, Joseph and The Shop at Bluebird in London, and online retailers like Avenue32 and Farfetch. Harrods, Moda Operandi, MyTheresa and Rubaiyat in Riyadh are among the new retailers that have signed on for Autumn/Winter 2015.

“We started in the Middle East since I live in Dubai and I thought I better start close to home. Then we expanded to the UK. Now, we are increasingly focused on the US. We’re doing our first New York Fashion Week this September,” said Trad. “90 percent of the stores have reported a 100 percent sell-through every season. We’ve sold 2050 units to date.”

Source: Nathalie Trad for BoF Source: Nathalie Trad for BoF

Source: Nathalie Trad for BoF

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For this month’s spotlight, the custom BoF logo features one of Trad’s geometric minaudières. “It’s our signature clutch and it’s called the Polygonia. It’s one of the first pieces I ever designed. What I love most about the bag is that every way you turn it, you see a new shape, a different piece.”

“I started off in clutches but there’s so much that I want to do. Hopefully, a year and a half down the line, we’ll be able to introduce some kind of product extension to our current selection,” said Trad, hinting at a future jewellery or leather goods line.

For now, Trad is focused on increasing her brand awareness. “I’ve been working on marketing, on social media campaigns, on showing at fashion week, on meeting as many people as possible and getting the brand seen. Our success has mostly been through word of mouth. We want to stay relevant and stay ahead of the game, but we also want to stay interesting.”

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