Free Fridays: Private Era.

24 April 2026

Ok here we go, Launch Day Part 2!

Part 1 was Just Gimme’s. Part 2 is Private Era’s.

And you’d think I’d be calmer for the second time round.

But this was me yesterday:

Rethinking decisions, rethinking strategy, rethinking design. Basically complete nonsense use of time, when really I should have been celebrating and patting myself on the back for finally launching my own handbag brand. Something I’ve wanted to do for years.

I bought myself a mocha with extra chocolate (don’t tell Better Control). And took a moment to sip and enjoy the moment.

The moment finally arrived.

My own handbag brand.

This time, my way. I’ve always tried to do things differently. When people do small and trendy, I want to do big and classic. When everyone goes a certain price range, I’ll choose a different bracket. When everything is accessible and public, I want to limit. Truly make it a private era. Maybe it’s the degil girl in me, but I wanted to go against the grain and challenge the norm.

Do I know if it’ll work?

Does she look like she knows? 😂

But I’ve learned - La hawla wala quwwata illa billah. There is no might nor power except with Allah.

I strategised, I created, I put my deposit and took the risk, and now I leave my tawakkul in Him.

It’s been so fun and I can’t believe I managed to keep it a secret for over a year. Designing the bag was such a joy - I put all the elements of my favourite Zionist bags into this, and being a mom, the practical part was very important. Compartments inside and outside, secure but not too secure that opening the bag slows you down, oh and the water bottle compartment is waterproof mmkayyy. I love prints, but a printed bag would be a big NO, so we put the print on the inside. Which fits the ethos of Private Era so well. The story, the meaning, the beauty… is on the inside, only for your eyes to see.

But the journey didn’t come without drama. There were delays all round, from the printed lining issues, to the bag to the box to the padlock to the website customisations. Because the concept isn’t a simple open-website-come-shop, Fadza and our colleague had to crack their engineer heads to come up with a system for a waiting list and timed access. Sounds simple, but a lot of work was poured into the backend.

We got the boxes yesterday at 11pm.

ON LAUNCH DAY.

So we took a huge risk launching before the boxes arrived.

But I can breathe a bit now, knowing that the test batch went out without any hiccups.

Chapter One has begun, and I cannot wait to go through the story with you.

If you’ve already joined the waitlist, I thank you for your love and support. If you haven’t, come join here. When it’s your turn, you’ll get an email for the access to your own Chapter One. (p/s: please check spam folders too)

Bismillah!

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Before you go…

Let me know you’ve read this. Comment which colour you want (Black, Blood Red or Nutshell) on my latest post at @sincerelyvivy.

See you there! :)