What the founders of APOA (A Piece of Art) call their jewelry is "small wearable sculptures."
Mashael Khalid Al-Saud, Nourah Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and Sarah Naif Al-Saud, the Saudi princesses, are overjoyed that their company, which they launched in Riyadh, has made it to the shortlist of finalists in the jewelry category of the Fashion Trust Arabia Awards, just a year after it was first introduced, reported Arab News.
Mashael, the youngest of the three cousins, tells Arab News, "We knew it was a long shot but we were very confident in our brand and the achievements we've made so far." Finding out we were in the top three was just a thrilling experience.
To be honest, Sarah says, "I can't describe how I feel." "We put up a lot of effort to earn it. We are ecstatic by this accomplishment.
The COVID epidemic of 2020 gave rise to the brand's concept.
Mashael explains, "At first, it was Sarah and Nourah who were talking about this." "They then requested that I join." Sarah continues, "Mashael has amazing taste."
Since Sarah and Nourah are older than I am, they have a wealth of experience that they have shared with me. Even though our choices in fashion are so different, we balance each other out, Mashael says.
"We live together as cousins and go places together. We always dress each other in our outfits. We also utilize one other's belongings when we travel. Accessories have always been a passion of ours. If we don't decorate our clothing, we can't wear anything," Sarah explains. "We observed that the market needed stylish accessories. Our goal was to create reasonably priced, elegant fashion items that you might treasure for years to come and wear for important events. These aren't items that you will wear for a month or two and then grow tired of.
"Injected with strong Saudi DNA" and influenced by travel, nature, architecture, and culture, APOA debuted in 2023 and has since released four unique collections, or "chapters," as the cousins refer to them.
"We refer to them as chapters since they resemble reading a book in essence. Thus, every chapter has a plot, which is either a concept or a humorous notion, according to Mashael.
The first segment served as both a showcase for the Kingdom's Arab past and a tribute to its rich pearl diving legacy. The most recent is geared for "women on the go."
The three founders of APOA are the ones who come up with the creative concepts, however the items are made in an Italian studio by a technical designer who works out of Barcelona.
"To put our ideas on paper and essentially clean them up so we can provide them to the manufacturers, we collaborate with our technical designer. However, before that can occur, all three of us must approve each item," Mashael says.
As part of the Saudi 100 Brands project, the creators celebrated yet another milestone earlier this year by attending Paris Fashion Week.
Mashael recalls of the encounter, "It was enormous." And we're grateful for this chance, as not everyone is afforded it. This is a government-funded effort that includes us. Many years pass before someone may appear on a show or receive this kind of notoriety. We also have that in our pocket. Mashael described it as "literally a dream come true."
"When I meet new individuals, I become really apprehensive and worried. I have faith in my brand, but persuading a stranger that it's destined for greatness is a different story. or "These pieces are incredible." Thus, it was quite pleasant to meet publishers and buyers from all around the world. We also got to know many incredible individuals in the business.
The cousins are anticipating chapter five, which will have a floral theme, and their second collaboration with Saudi label Ashi Studio — a “very bold” item, according to Sarah — which will appear in October, even before the FTA Awards winners in Morocco are announced.