Sarah Beydoun
Who Is She
Personal information
Creative Director, Supervisor of Production, and Marketing Products
Sarah Beydoun
Contact information / Private
Omar Daouk street, Block 3, 5th floor, Downtown
Beirut
Lebanon
543 876 3 961
Contact information / Work
Sara's Bag
Mhanna bldg., 2nd flr., 100 rue du liban
Beirut
Lebanon
Phone:
575585 1 961
Fax:
585 575 1 961
Mobile:
543 876 3 961
Education
Education:
- Master's degree, Public Relations and Sociology, 1999, Saint-Joseph University, Lebanon.
- Bachelor degree, Sociology, 1995, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
Areas of expertise
Expertise:
- Accessory Design
- Rehabilitation of Women in Prison
Languages:
- Arabic
- French
- English
Work history
Jobs:
- Creative Director, Supervisor of Production, and Marketing Products, 2000 - present, Sara’s Bag.
Honorary office and memberships
- Member of Dar Al-Amal, 1997 - present.
- Board Member of Open Minds Lebanon (NGO), creation - present.
- Board Member of Lebanese Autism Society (NGO), 2009 - present.
Productions
Major achievements:
- Founding Sarah’s Bag, a luxury fashion house and social enterprise specialized in design of handbags and accessories.
- Training incarcerated women on hand embroidery and stitching, and employing them, in collaboration with Dar al-Amal and the Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World at the Lebanese American University.
- Preserving and reviving ancient handicraft techniques by using them to interpret modern designs. In coordination with Sarah’s Bag design team, Beydoun is constantly discovering and experimenting with new materials and techniques, whether it’s Perspex and resin to create minimalist masterpiece statement clutches, or revamping traditional woodwork techniques such as marquetry and mother of pearl inlay.
- Started a training program for incarcerated women in the Baabda prison to teach them handicraft techniques as a means of improving their livelihood. The women receive certificates of completion after they have completed the program.
- Supporting local designers by organizing collaborative events to display local products and provide designers with a platform for exposure.
Exhibitions, lectures & performances:
- In November 2013, Sarah’s Bag was invited by NGO Vital Voices, the U.S. Department of the State and Fortune Most Powerful Women, to participate in their Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership. Sarah was mentored under Kay Krill, President and CEO of ANN INC., the parent company of Ann Taylor and LOFT.
- Co-organizing Arabesque: The Art of the Arab world, an exhibition at Kennedy Center, February 2009.
- Co-organizing Umm Kulthu: the 4th Pyramid, an exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, June 2008.
Awards and Distinctions
Awards:
- In 2016, the Oslo-based Business for Peace Foundation awarded Sarah its annual prize “Business for Peace Award” in recognition of her work as a global business leader who is positively changing the face of business.
- International Young Fashion Entrepreneur of the year from the British Council, 2008.
