Evil Eye Bags? Sign. Me. Up.

This ain’t your mama’s typical handbag store. Replete with an indoor 40-foot skate ramp, handbag and accessories designer Gelareh Mizrahi’s pop-up store in the Design District anything but basic.

With plans to be open a year, the boutique is brimming with Mizrahi’s quirky and chromatic handbags — think clutches in the shape of fried eggs and pepperoni pizza slices — and marks the label’s first-ever (yay!) brick-and-mortar store.

“The point of the store is to bring people together through creativity, give them a space they feel comfortable being themselves in, without expectation. If they buy something because they feel a connection, that’s great, but this experience is more about hosting and sharing than it is about selling,” Mizrahi tells me.

A gander at Mizrahi’s bags tell a street-meets-contemporary-art story. She attended the prestigious Parsons School of Design and started her collection by making a tricked-out python-covered skateboard in 2012.  Since the brand’s genesis in 2014, her handbags have been spotted on the arms of celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Emma Roberts and Jessica Simpson, along with fashion editors from Teen Vogue.

Neighboring, Gucci, the 1,300 square foot store exudes a clean, minimalist vibe with floor-to-ceiling windows. The sun-filled space pops with bold hues compliments of Mizrahi’s candy-colored creations. A custom-built mini-vert skate ramp featuring a teal facade and hot pink lining serves as the shop’s focal point.

Also worth noting? Guests may find themselves hobnobbing with the Miami-based designer as Mizrahi is often present at the store creating new art, styling customers and hosting the local creative community, too.

“I love what I do and I take every part of my collections and my business as a form of personal expression. It’s my way of telling a story and for me, the creative connection is the most important thing. The idea that doing what you want is the most powerful thing in the world.  I am so thankful for this opportunity the universe has given me to share what I love,” Mizrahi adds.

Gelareh Mizrahi, 151 NE 41st Street, Miami Design District; gelarehmizrahi.com

 

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