DUBAI: “Small wearable sculptures” is how the founders of APOA (A Piece of Art) describe their jewelry. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle Within a year of launching their Riyadh-based brand, Saudi Princesses Mashael Khalid Al-Saud, Nourah Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Sarah Naif Al-Saud are thrilled that it has made the shortlist of finalists in Fashion Trust Arabia Awards’ jewelry section. “We knew it was a long shot but we were very confident in our brand and the achievements we"ve made so far,” Mashael — the youngest of the three cousins — tells Arab News. “It was just such an exciting moment to learn we were in the top three.” “I can"t describe how I feel honestly,” Sarah adds. “We have worked so hard for it. We are so happy with this achievement.” The idea for the brand arose in 2020, during the COVID pandemic. “It was Sarah and Nourah who were talking about this at first,” says Mashael. “Then they asked me to join.” (“Mashael has amazing taste,” Sarah adds.) “Sarah and Nourah are older than me, so they"ve shared a lot of their experience with me. We complement each other: Our fashion tastes are very different, but we balance each other out,” Mashael continues. “We are cousins and we live together and we travel together. We’re always wearing each other’s clothes. And when we travel, we use each other"s things. We’ve always had a love for accessories. We can"t wear anything if we do not accessorize our outfit,” Sarah says. “We saw that there was a need in the market for fashion accessories. We wanted to make fashion accessories that are affordable and yet very dressy, so you can wear them for special occasions and you can keep them for a lifetime. These aren’t things you will wear and get bored with after a month or two, or a year or two.” Since its launch in 2023, APOA — “injected with strong Saudi DNA” and inspired by culture, architecture, nature and travel — has dropped four eclectic collections, which the cousins call “chapters.” “We call them chapters because, basically, it"s like you’re reading a book. So, each chapter has a storyline — an idea or a whimsical thought behind it,” says Mashael. The first chapter was a tribute to the Kingdom’s heritage of pearl diving and a way to put their Arab roots on full display. The latest is dedicated to “women on the go.” While all design ideas come from the three founders, APOA has a technical designer based in Barcelona and the pieces are manufactured at an atelier in Italy. “We work with our technical designer to basically clean up the mess of our ideas and put them on paper, so we can hand it over to the manufacturers. But each piece is approved by the three of us before that happens,” Mashael explains. The founders celebrated another milestone earlier this year when they participated at Paris Fashion Week as part of the Saudi 100 Brands initiative. “It was an immense experience,” Mashael says. “And we"re very thankful, because not everyone gets this opportunity. We are part of this initiative that our government is funding. It takes people many years to join a show or to get this recognition. And we"ve got that in our pocket. It"s literally a dream come true,” said Mashael. “I get very anxious and nervous meeting people. I believe in my brand, but it"s another thing trying to convince a stranger: ‘Yes, trust me, this brand is going places.’ Or, ‘These pieces are amazing.’ So, it was really nice seeing people from all over — publishers, buyers… we met a lot of amazing people in the industry.” Before the announcement of the FTA Awards winners in Morocco, the cousins are already looking forward to chapter five, which will have a floral focus, as well as to their second collaboration with Saudi label Ashi Studio — a “very bold” piece, according to Sarah, that will launch in October.