At the end of an unbeaten track lays a small workshop, where a number of men recite their ancestors' instructions to turn elaborate sketches into tangible masterpieces. Every morning, they stare at the same sketches while sipping their cups of hot tea. They gaze into the shaded curves and trace the lines with their fingers. They grin in excitement as they catch sight of the same tools that have become with time their well-deserving partners. In what seems like a glimpse of an eye, they pause blooming flowers in sudden motion and give them an eternity of summer sunshine. The Fleurette is their garden of metal beauty. With a rainbow of colourful leather reflected in the intricate handles. The new fashion must-have is the brainchild of two young designers and the end result of many long working days spent at the heart of a local workshop. "This collection is mainly a meeting point between the brightest season of them all, summer, and our special unique handle. It is basically how we, Les Miniatures, see summer, bright as a Fleurette," said Farah Yasser, co-founder of Les Miniatures. The home-grown brand is the outcome of a childhood obsession. Yasser along with her best friend Hanna Hazem have invested their childhood and teenage years nursing their common mini-bags obsession before deciding to design their own. Les Miniatures is a carry-able answer to all the bags they dreamed of obtaining to complete their growing collection. Over the course of countable successful collections, the mini-specialised concept sprouted to a bigger-than-life brand. "The Fleurette's shape makes it seem bigger. Nonetheless, we absolutely maintained the same dimensions of the bag using the rounded shape, so it only seems bigger; yet, it is not. If it is one thing that we are sure of, is that we are never drifting away from our mini bag obsession!" said the designer. The bright collection comes in show-stopping hues of red, olive, yellow, pink, and turquoise. While their rounded shape qualifies them to attend a dinner party or a beach gathering, the silver makes each bag unforgettable. "We target all types of styles, as you can notice, our collections are all different from one another; this is mainly to cater for all kinds of styles. Fleurette is the mini summer bag that could match with your morning outfit or your party dress," Yasser added. "We selected the colors based on shades of nature that we like. We wanted to incorporate summer vibes of brightness and colorfulness to the bag." With that said, the design takes the term "Fleurette" quite literal with silver handles carved to capture the elegant beauty of flowers. On the other hand, the attached long chain adds masculine allure. Furthermore, being an expert in millennial infatuations, the brand also offers personalisation as the bag's accessories are also available in gold. "The handle is a very special antique piece. It is made out of bronze, and we plate it in silver or gold. We make sure it maintains its rustic look and still look beautiful when worn," said Yasser gleefully. Photo Handout to DNE The collection was launched only few months ago in celebration of the infamous Sahel season, which marks the short-lived summer months of July and August. The bags, which perfectly contrast with green destinations as well as crystal-blue waves, are by definition available in the coastal city besides online e-commerce. "We wanted to launch the collection with the commencement of summer, when people start going to Sahel in addition to their summer trips. We are also consistently launching new collections, the Mini-malist collection was the first wave of our summer collection, and that was launched in February, so it does not really make a difference for us to launch our collections in a specific time," explained Yasser. Furthermore, being made in Egypt with genuine and ethical materials makes Les Miniatures a winning brand offshore. The mini bags are not only bound to domestic sales, they are also available for purchase through few international distributors. According to the designers, the antique handles were easily welcomed as a long-missed blast from the past by the target audience. The nostalgic handles were first embraced by the brand few seasons ago during the "Desassemble" collection, which clients still order until today. "We got good feedback about the shape transformation as well, because change is always good. What we also like is that people now recognize our bags easily. We feel that we have managed to establish an identity for our brand apart from being just a mini bag," concluded the co-founder.
