Forget the Birkin: MAISON de SABRÉ Unveils The Palais
A bold new era for Australian luxury: MAISON de SABRÉ launches The Palais, a flagship handbag eight years in the making.
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Luxury fashion’s next great icon has arrived, and it doesn’t come from the ateliers of Paris or Milan.
Eight years after reimagining the humble phone case as a luxury object, Australian disruptor MAISON de SABRÉ has unveiled its most ambitious creation yet: The Palais.
The Palais is the brand’s first flagship handbag, a permanent house signature that distils nine of its design codes into a single silhouette. According to Co-Founder and Creative Director Omar Sabré, it is “the most significant milestone in our craft language – an icon of the unconventional.”
Craft, Redefined
Sixteen months of design and six more of material development have delivered a handbag that sets a new standard for contemporary luxury. Each detail, from its sculptural teardrop gusset, first carved in wood, to its floating seam edged with suede, has been engineered with precision.
The bag is crafted from 100% LWG Gold-Rated DriTan™ calf leather, the most premium material the brand has used to date, and lined entirely in sueded leather. MAISON de SABRÉ has committed to a zero-waste ethos, incorporating upcycled accents and trims that marry indulgence with responsibility.
An Investment in Permanence
In a market defined by seasonal trends, The Palais is positioned as a piece of permanence. Built to endure, it has been designed to evolve through attachable charms, eyewear cases, and tech accessories, making it both timeless and adaptive.
The line debuts in two sizes:
Large ($949 AUD) in Cashmere Clay, Pecan Brown, Black Caviar, and Emerald Green
Medium ($749 AUD) in Cashmere Clay, Plum Red, Emerald Green, Black Caviar, Sandstone Brown, and Manhattan Orange
More Than a Bag
Alongside The Palais comes a suite of playful, functional accessories. The Petite Palais Charm, a miniature handbag for your handbag, holds everything from an Apple AirTag to AirPods Pro.
SABRÉMOJI™ Garden Bugs, handcrafted from leather offcuts, nod to nostalgic childhood discoveries, while the Sunglass Sling Case offers sleek utility with its detachable leather sling.
Global Stage, Australian Confidence
MAISON de SABRÉ has built a $100M luxury powerhouse without relying on traditional fashion gatekeeping, and more than 80% of its sales now come from international markets. This September, the brand debuted The Palais at Tokyo’s Miyashita Park alongside Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Prada, followed by a residency at Paris’s legendary Le Bon Marché.
Co-Founder Zane Sabré puts it bluntly: “Heritage doesn’t guarantee relevance. The Palais proves you don’t need a century of history to create something iconic — you need conviction, execution, and a brand people actually believe in.”
Or, as Omar Sabré quips, “Hermès has the Birkin. We have The Palais. It’s not a comparison, it’s a challenge.”
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Tasmania’s LARK Distillery’s limited-edition single malt is shaping up to be one of the season’s most luxurious gifts.
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If you’re hunting for a Christmas present that won’t end up re-gifted by February, LARK Distillery has delivered something genuinely special.
The Tasmanian whisky house has unveiled its 2026 Limited Edition Lunar New Year release, the Fire Horse Edition, a striking single malt that blends craftsmanship, culture and collectability.
Inspired by the Year of the Fire Horse, the release is as much an artistic object as it is a whisky.
Sydney artist Chris Yee has cloaked the bottle in a luminous wrap of symbolism and texture. His design fuses fire, wood and water, with Cradle Mountain and celestial motifs anchoring the scene.
Waves of movement and paths of connection run through the artwork, reflecting the journeys, traditions and family reunions that define the season.
Yee describes the concept in the release as an homage to the natural elements that shape both Asian and Australian cultures, saying he wanted to highlight how “fire, wood and water” sit at the heart of the distilling process and the stories we share.
Inside the bottle, the whisky is just as layered.
Matured in first-fill Sherry and Port casks, it opens with soft pear blossom and honeyed tea notes before moving through orange-spiced cake, apricot compote and treacle sponge pudding.
The finish lingers with hazelnut praline, glazed fruits and a whisper of highland peat smoke. It’s indulgent without being heavy; festive without being overly sweet.
LARK Master Distiller Chris Thomson captures the sentiment neatly in the release, saying the Fire Horse Edition “is about more than flavour, it’s about the feeling of coming together.”
The whisky holds the celebration in the glass, while the artwork reflects the journey home.
For those planning Lunar New Year drinks, LARK also suggests a few seasonal serves, including a Sencha Blossom Old Fashioned and a Toasted Fortune Highball with toasted sesame cordial.
With only a limited number available and strong gifting appeal, expect this one to move quickly.
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