Checklist: The Practical Products This Teen Designer Packs in Her Carry-On
Plus, the beauty lessons passed on from her makeup artist mom, Sonia Kashuk.
Interview by Ally Zacek
Her mother, after years as a trusted makeup artist to supermodels like Christy Turlington and Claudia Schiffer, built a cosmetic empire known for its whimsical makeup brushes and cosmetic bags. Now, Sadye Kaner is following in mom Sonia Kashuk’s footsteps, designing leather accessories equally as charming as Kashuk’s cosmetic staples.
Kaner, a freshman at Boston University, began Sadye Belah, a line of hand-painted leather goods by using acrylic paints to doodle colorful designs onto a handbag purchased from a Goodwill store. “I started [designing bags] because I wanted something unique that [not] everyone else had,” she says. Since her first design, Kaner has created custom doodles of insects, animals, and other natural elements on designer goods for friends, family, and even a few of fashion industry insiders like famed photographer Arthur Elgort and celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin.
If you’ve ever questioned whether an entrepreneurial spirit is inherited, let Kaner’s business make the case. As if her mother’s beauty smarts weren’t enough, her father, Daniel Kaner is co-president of Oribe, the luxury hair care line with a cult following.
“I look at a ton of stuff for inspiration. I am influenced by other designers but there’s a lot of contemporary art [that I’m inspired by, too]—I even will look at tattoos for inspiration.” Another source of inspiration for Kaner is her penchant for travel. The most memorable destination on her list? “Marrakech. [It’s] not developed but then you enter these hotels with crazy colorful tiles that are beautiful.”
From Marrakech, to Miami, New York City to Boston, and everywhere in between, Kaner shares the beauty products that make it into her hand-painted Louis Vuitton travel portfolio.
To place a custom order, visit sadyebelah.com.