DUBAI: Brazilian fashion influencer Camila Coelho and Canadian model Winnie Harlow have both been spotted touting bags by Egyptian label Okhtein while out and about at Paris Fashion Week.
Founded by two sisters, Egyptian brand Okhtein is one of the country’s hottest exports and is known for its quirky bags and scarves.
The brand, which means “two sisters,” was launched in 2013 by Aya and Mounaz Abdelraouf and has since gone on to reach astronomical heights in its success — Beyoncé sported a bag by the brand in 2018 and since then, celebrities have been spotted with Okhtein arm candy at events around the world.
For her part, Coelho carried a small boxy bag by Okhtein to the Isabel Marant runway show in Paris, while Harlow showed off a delicately embossed silver bag called the “Felucca Minaudière.”
The Minaudiere, also known as the box clutch, comes in a variety of colors as is based on the invention of the box clutch in 1934 by French jewelry, watch, and perfume company, Van Cleef and Arpels. Charles Arpels was inspired by watching Florence Gould, the third wife of famed casino owner Franck Jay Gould, toss her personal belongings in a tin box. The small, handle-free clutch bag, which has a slinky chain, quickly became the ultimate chic statement and the sisters have put their own, decidedly unique, spin on it.
After she was photographed with the bag, Harlow walked the runway during the showcase of American designer Tommy Hilfiger’s “buy-now” collaboration with actress-singer Zendaya on Sunday.
The collection was, according to The Associated Press, more high-street than high-fashion.
Breton stripes led down to flared denim or leather pants, torso-hugging jumpsuits and a shimmering pleated silken gown with a cape the model waved dramatically.
Zendaya, 22, became the latest in a long line of celebrities to try their hand at fashion design in Paris.
The “Spider-Man: Homecoming” star spoke to The Associated Press about receiving a phone call from Hilfiger to discuss a collaboration.
“I got a call from Tommy Hilfiger himself, which was pretty crazy. I was not expecting that,” she said.
Hilfiger gave her, she said, full control of the designs, which drew inspiration from “iconic women” of the late-1970s and early-1980s.
Showing deep industry knowledge, Zendaya also referenced the famous “Battle of Versailles” fashion show held in in 1973 at France’s Palace of Versailles. It pitted American designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Stephen Burrows against French designers Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin and Hubert de Givenchy.
One of the models who walked in the 1973 Versailles show, Pat Cleveland, modeled for Zendaya alongside Harlow, who showed off a striped maxi dress over a mesh halter-neck top in a brown-gold color palette.
