Few designers can conjure an entire constellation in a single garment, but Elie Saab ’s uniquely magical gowns do just that. Known for his presence on the red carpet—celebrities from Michelle Yeoh to Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry, to name a few, have turned to him for their most important moments—the Lebanese designer has created many an intricate and dazzling look. It makes sense, then, that Saab would appoint Greek-Austrian designer Marina Raphael as artistic and design director of handbags.
Known for her use of crystallization, often involving thousands of tiny crystals applied by hand, Raphael’s bags have been worn by everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Priyanka Chopra , as well as garnering fans including Bella Poarch , Kelsey Merritt and Bryan Yambao . Naturally, it has taken a special kind of synergy to find a designer that blends seamlessly into the Elie Saab universe. Over the past four decades (Saab opened his first Atelier in 1982), the designer has honed the brand’s DNA through an obsession with his craft as a couturier, each piece exemplary of the level of detail that Saab is renowned for.
This obsession is shared by Raphael, which has aided her in the building of her own eponymous brand and is one she now brings to the Elie Saab handbag category. “Working with Mr. Elie Saab, who has played an integral part of cultivating my passion for exceptional quality and craftsmanship, is a truly humbling experience,” says Raphael.
“He has been a revolutionary .