Entrepreneur connects women with pre-owned designer bags

Shaikha Suhail has always had the entrepreneur spirit, she just didn't know what business to start with. One day, thinking of her long-time obsession with handbags, it occurred to her that this should be her business path in life. "After all, it's a business that gives you an excellent excuse to binge on your obsession," Shaikha told Gulf News. The young Emirati entrepreneur started her business as a handbag rental website. "Indeed, but the unfortunate incident of having four of our loveliest bags stolen made me and my partner Reema realise how really risky that business was. Besides, we had great demand for selling and buying of designer handbags. So we started selling pre-owned bags through our website," the 21 year-old said. Online orders She opened her boutique — Toujours Chic — last July. "Almost everybody was on vacation at that time but that didn't stop the ladies from ordering online or through BlackBerry Messenger," the owner of the Toujours Chic boutique said On the kind of brands she sells, Shaikha said: "Well, we sell all premier designer brands such as Chanel, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi and many more." But are they all handbags or mixed with other A-list labels? "Sure, we actually sell handbags, shoes and accessories, and we will soon be selling designer clothes as well." With regard to demand, she explains, "Well, I believe we should really give credit to the last recession. The recession has made us all responsible spenders, yet it didn't stop us from being fashionable and sporting the bag or accessory of our choice. "It's just, I'd call it a change in taste and direction. Pre-recession we had to have the latest ‘it' bag, and post-recession [the mentality is:] ‘give me that classic please'. Now women talk [about] investment pieces whether it's clothes, bags or accessories, and we have high demand for classic investment pieces." Her customers are women who are in love with designer handbags and who would like to expand their collection by adding more bags to it for slashed prices. "Indeed, women are looking for rare and hard to find designer bags such as Chanel classics and Hermes Birkins and Kelly's. We have lots of expat customers in addition to Arabs and locals." Classic Chanel and Hermes are the favourite choices of Shaikha's customers. On the sources of the classy bags she said, "Well, we do offer a fashion recycling service for our clients in which a lady who is bored with her designer handbags can just recycle her closet by selling the bags through us. "We help to sell the no-longer-loved bags to other ladies who are looking for that particular one or simply looking for a bargain. We charge no commission or fees for this service. We also handpick bags and accessories from all around the world. Of course, we make absolutely sure that the bag or accessory we are selling is authentic before we display it on our website or in the shop. Only authentic items make it to our shop floor and to our e-shop," she said.