IN CONVERSATION WITH

SARA NAGHEDI

NAGHEDI JOURNAL
Issue 22

Ten years ago, Sara Naghedi was designing the first St. Barths Tote from her dining room table, taking market appointments from hotel suites, and running NAGHEDI with a team of two. Today, the brand has grown to a team of twelve, expanded into new categories, and found its way into some of the world’s most prestigious retailers. Here, Sara reflects on the material that started it all, the moments that shaped NAGHEDI, and what she’s learned from ten years in business.

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WHY NEOPRENE?

I was working on a project for a well known athletic brand, and kept playing with the fabric. It felt new to me. People had done sports bags with neoprene, but no one had done anything more elevated with it. The way the material takes color is so beautiful. It’s hard to find bold, saturated colors in leather. Something about the fabric just worked on so many levels—and you can set it down anywhere, clean it, and not really worry about it.

SARA NAGHEDI

“We launched with only the St. Barths Medium. The idea was one bag, many colors. If we could make one bag really well, we wouldn’t need a lot of other bags.”

WHAT WAS THE PROCESS FROM DESIGN TABLE TO PRODUCTION?

I had done a lot of work with woven products in my former business, so I had a strong understanding of the process. I became especially interested in handcrafted weaves that are practically seamless. That's what became the St. Barths Tote; the weave starts at the handles and goes all the way down, with stitching bringing the bottom of the bag together. Perfecting it took several rounds; once we had the right size and ratios, we worked with a master weaver and his team of artisans. We launched with only the St. Barths Medium. The idea was one bag, many colors. If we could make one bag really well, we wouldn’t need a lot of other bags.

WHAT WERE THE EARLY YEARS OF NAGHEDI LIKE?

The early years were every creator's dream. A lot of opportunities came to us, and we were riding a wave. We had many serendipitous moments —from being noticed by Marissa Galante Frank at Bloomingdale’s, to Eva Chen taking a photo of our bag in the back of a taxi, to Liberty reaching out to us on Instagram. Back then we weren't thinking about new silhouettes. We created different sizes of the St. Barths, and that felt like a pretty big expansion. I never thought the brand would grow this much. I thought we'd be a niche little brand.

YOU'VE GONE FROM A TEAM OF TWO TO A TEAM OF TWELVE. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT BUILDING IT?

We've really taken our time with hiring. We only add roles as we need them, and everyone has to be the right fit. It's not just about having an amazing resume—I want the team to feel collaborative and warm. My kids have always been my priority and building a wonderful team has allowed me to be the mom I need to be at home. I’ve learned to play to my strengths over the years—the people I've hired for certain positions are stronger at those roles than I am.

SARA NAGHEDI

“The number one lesson has been to stand my ground. As a new brand it can be tempting to say ‘yes’ to everything, because you don't want to miss an opportunity. But sometimes you need to take a step back and say no—that this isn't the right move for your brand or for yourself.”

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR THE BRAND?

It wasn't long after our launch that we started seeing our first copies, and it was shocking. I was often told, “imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” but that’s the last thing you want to hear when you're in that situation. On some level I thought, well, I guess this bag has become an "it" bag, but it doesn't feel good. We keep our heads down and focus on creating and innovating, but it certainly weighs on me. I hope that customers see the value in the original, and that we all keep supporting the designers and artists in the industry creating original work.

WHAT HAS REMAINED UNCHANGED SINCE THE VERY FIRST ST. BARTHS TOTE?

We're always trying to improve our own designs and set ourselves apart. We're so detail-focused, and bringing on our designer Simona has made us even more so. We're always trying to improve little things that our customers might not even notice. But the St. Barths is still the St. Barths. It's still the same design, the same dimensions, and it remains our bestselling bag, ten years later. How many brands can say that? Saying it out loud is kind of crazy.

HOW DO YOU STAY AUTHENTIC IN A WORLD FILLED WITH SO MUCH NOISE?

I'm not trying to take over the world with NAGHEDI. From a design perspective, it comes down to only wanting to create things I'm going to wear. If I'm not loving it, I don't think we should put it out there. There is so much noise around needing newness, and I have to tune that out. We don't need to do something other brands are already doing well. At the end of the day, I trust my instincts and focus on making things that feel true to NAGHEDI.

SARA NAGHEDI

WHY NEOPRENE?

WHAT WAS THE PROCESS FROM DESIGN TABLE TO PRODUCTION?

WHAT WERE THE EARLY YEARS OF NAGHEDI LIKE?

YOU'VE GONE FROM A TEAM OF TWO TO A TEAM OF TWELVE. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT BUILDING IT?

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR THE BRAND?

WHAT HAS REMAINED UNCHANGED SINCE THE VERY FIRST ST. BARTHS TOTE?

HOW DO YOU STAY AUTHENTIC IN A WORLD FILLED WITH SO MUCH NOISE?

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