Nathalie Trad’s sculptural clutches

These limited-edition bags fuse furniture, fashion and art

The clutch bag may now inspire as much fashionista fervour as it did during the 1980s, but for Beirut-born and Dubai-based designer Nathalie Trad, they are also a vehicle to push the design boundaries of traditional materials and create exquisite sculptural pieces.

“I always tend to gravitate towards shell as a base material, which I source from east Asia,” Trad says. “I love to complement it with other materials such as wood, stone, resin, brass and stainless steel – creating a marriage of materials that seem incompatible yet harmonise beautifully.”

Both Avenue 32 and Joseph will be showcasing cherry-picked pieces from Trad’s new collection, including the Eliferia (£683), a shock of neon resin with mother-of-pearl wrapped around it like a spider. The clash is brash: a work of art to be displayed proudly. For the brave, the clutch comes in bright pink or vivid turquoise at Avenue 32 and in glowing lime or black, for the monochrome lover, at Joseph.

However, going to the designer directly means even more exclusivity, as Trad is keeping back three designs, each made in a limited edition of 20. The Polygonia (£660, first picture) pochette, as the bag was originally known when created around 1900, juxtaposes black mother-of-pearl with the dapple-textured beauty of hammered brass on the base. The Opiona (£732, second picture) is a series of polished-mixed-wood sculptural stacked discs, while the Sphinx (£660, third picture) is a tactile, multifaceted black resin creation that’s quietly striking.

A Parsons graduate, Trad worked under the mentorship of the design team at Proenza Schouler before launching her own range of handbags last year. The inspiration for this collection came from an 18th-century volume she found while browsing through the famed second-hand Strand Book Store in New York. “I came across Albertus Seba’s illustrated Cabinet of Natural Curiosities and was drawn to the kaleidoscope of colours and patterns. It provided an exotic window onto the plant and insect world, and I began to think about creating clutches that are luxurious specimens and invite curiosity.”

They may not be traditional, but as objects of great beauty they are certain to become collector’s items.