Dawn Images

They say appearances can be deceiving. That's particularly true when it comes to photographer, now designer, Nefer Sehgal.

Donning short black hair with a light denim button down, complimented with a lot of leather and spikes, she looks intimidating and grungy. However, five minutes into talking to her, I had concluded that she was one of the sweetest people I've had the pleasure of interviewing.

So how does one go from being a photographer/journalist to a designer?

Nefer talks about the transition: "There's a website called CourseHorse which shows you different classes happening around the city so while I was in New York, I took $6 or $30 classes here and there and I just got interested. I was always inclined towards sketching so it just happened from there. I started designing bags, then I made some. And then one day, my friend asked me if she could buy it off me. They encouraged me to start doing it on a more professional level and NEFER came into existence with the help of family and friends."

Amafah Mubashir models the Elena. - Photo by Nefer Sehgal.

All NEFER bags are made from genuine leather and are handmade. In a city as small as Karachi, Nefer aims to build clientele by offering bags that are unique, something no one else would be carrying.

Inspired by Michael Kors, Tom Ford and Mahin Hussain, the budding designer wanted to create something practical, "something that you can carry all the time".

Each style in her collection is named after inspirational women in her life, such as 'The Saba' (named after Saba Imtiaz, author of 'Karachi, You're Killing Me!') or 'The Elena' (named after her niece).

At this point, her bags retail from Rs7,000 to Rs10,500.

"It's really frustrating when you see a bag you like and it looks good, but it's for $5,000 and is mass produced. I want to provide quality paired with simplicity. I have this thing about clean and crisp lines. I think my OCD helps ensure quality!" Nefer says laughing.

The bags themselves were deceivingly small in size. Personally, I think an everyday bag needs space and although the bags Nefer showed me were gorgeous, I wondered if I would be able to fit all my junk in there.

Acknowledging my concerns, Nefer demonstrated how the bags were spacious enough for most needs.

"All of these bags keep the working women in mind, the girls floundering around with stuff" shares the young entrepreneur.

NEFER offers a range of handbags, clutches and cross body bags.

Currently only selling via her NEFER Facebook page with a website in the pipeline, clients can also pop over to Nefer's home office to get a look at the bags, which makes the whole experience much more personal.

Looking at the quality of work produced by Nefer, this is one designer who will likely make a regular customer out of even the most hesitant of shoppers.