Zohara Donard Collection for AW18 | #MyZohara

I've been working with Zohara for a few seasons now. They're another great example of a local company going from strength to strength - great to see in the current climate. They're on their 5th handbag collection and I was asked along to the launch event last week to see each of the bags in real life...and get a dedicated discount code for readers of the blog - the details are at the bottom of this post.

Photographs don't do these bags full justice. The quality of the leather and the detail in the design is best appreciated in real life - a bonus if you're buying online. You'll definitely not be disappointed when it arrives! I see a lot of bags on my shopping travels and there's very little that compares at this price point from a quality of materials point of view.

This season's range is named after my favourite local mountain - Donard - which I've been up 4 times this year alone. It's become a symbolic climb for me because each time I'm up, I'm reminded how far I've come since my back injury in 2017. I honestly never thought I'd be hiking again, not to mind climbing a mountain. So you can see how this new range really struck a chord with me. Any excuse to justify a new bag, eh?

Back to the Donard collection and it's a wonderful mix of suedes and soft pebble leathers with all my favourite colours - Grey, Navy, Burgundy and Black. The tassel colour this season is dark navy - each collection has a common tassel across the range and these are removable and interchangeable.

You can see the whole range on this link - there's so many to share so I thought for this blog post, I'd help you decide between them by narrowing it down to my top 3, starting with the Glenada, a chain strap shoulder bag that can also be worn as a cross body. All the little details have been factored in - I especially love the leather piece in the chain to give you more comfort at the shoulder.

It comes in Burgundy, Tan and Navy in a mix of soft suede and pebble leather and we were told at the event that this is going to be a sell out line as they're down to their last 10% of stock - so don't delay if this is your favourite:

In second place, it's the Glen Handbag, which comes in black and grey. It's a little bit bigger than the Glenada and has a dual strap option making it workable as a cross body bag or for carrying on the arm. It's so difficult to get a nice dark grey bag - I'm regularly asked where the best place is to find one so here you go - Zohara have a few pewter suede & leather options to chose from in this Donard range.

The Glen Handbag in Pewter Grey

But as you know, I'm all about the workwear at the moment so for my pick of the range, the smaller ones had to make way for something that I can fit my lunch, note book and a pair of heels into. The two I narrowed it down to were the Meelmore Shopper in navy, which is a great bucket style bag with a removable inner and a magnetic closure. The leather is so soft too - really practical and hardwearing....

and the Trassey...which ultimately won my heart. It's not as roomy as the Meelmore but it's got a real designer vibe going on which I loved. The flap-over closure and the red interior make it really unique but it's got all the practicalities you need in a work bag with its removable inner pocket.

Zohara Trassey Handbag - Black (also available in Easy Mocha)

It's actually made from double faced leather with soft pebble on the outside and red saffiano leather on the inside. With it's removable long strap, it can be worn cross body or on the shoulder. I'm loving it on the arm without the long strap, which is how I wore it this weekend - it might  be my work bag but it works just as well casually...

Bag - Trassey from Zohara

Dress - H&M (AW17)

Jacket - Reiss (preloved)

Before I sign off, I need to let you know the discount code should you want to order one of these beautiful locally designed bags. It's valid until the 25th October and it will give you 10% off any bag from the collection. Delivery is free too! Simply use DONARDAK10 at the checkout.

Thanks so much to Zohara for asking me to be part of the Donard launch. I was gifted the Trassey handbag above as part of my collaboration. All the words are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that help keep my blog going!

Ax