Nathalie Trad’s range of sculptural clutches double as wearable art, so it’s suiting that the Lebanese designer’s Spring 2018 collection is called “This Is Not a Clutch.” Architecture has been a constant, underlying factor in Trad’s eponymous collections since her brand’s 2013 debut, and this season is no different. Inspired by the Memphis Group, an Italian design and architecture collective known for its furniture, fabrics, ceramics, glass, and metal creations, the new range plays on geometric forms, punchy colors, new textures, and undulating patterns to challenge the traditional idea of a clutch.
Alongside René Magritte’s vision of presenting the ordinary in an extraordinary way, the Memphis Group’s postmodern designs are translated into Trad’s geometric, yet feminine, formations. Although each design incorporates Trad’s signature Mother of Pearl inlay technique, the 2016 DDFC/Vogue Fashion Prize finalist took her Spring 2018 collection into cool new territory, by adding leather and Chamber and Black lip shell sourced from the Far East into the box bags, a design touch her loyal fans – which include Amal Clooney and Queen Rania – will undoubtedly love come spring.
The season’s need-it-now “Sol” bag is a rectangular clutch with hooped handle that comes in two looks. The first features vibrant hues of rose, tangerine, and red that will make your regular, snap-fastened clutch look suddenly dated. The second look, which carries on Trad’s art deco inspired designs, comes in rose and stone, juxtaposed with a black tab shell handle or in Pen Shell Raw lined with matte gold brass. The centerpiece of the collection is the “Felix” bag, a sculptural clutch characterized by its lightening bolt-shaped handle. “Rene” is the Trad’s debut leather clutch, and comes in three colorways (black, red, orange). Featuring an ultra-modern envelope design, the bag can seamlessly transition your look from day to night, no matter where you’re headed.
Ahead, Nathalie Trad unveils her Spring 2018 collection exclusively with Vogue Arabia.
