Forget the Birkin: MAISON de SABRÉ Unveils The Palais

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.”

Australia trails Singapore and Malta in a new Commonwealth index, while national testing shows fewer than four in 10 Year 10 students meet the standard for digital literacy.

Australia has ranked third among 56 Commonwealth countries for youth AI readiness, with researchers estimating that artificial intelligence could lift the level of Australian GDP by $80.6 billion after a decade under their middle scenario.

The Ayre Think Tank released the index at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. Australia scored 71 out of 100, behind Singapore on 77.6 and Malta on 75. The United Kingdom followed closely on 70.8, with Canada fifth on 70.2. Only 15 countries reached the study’s benchmark of 53.

What the $80.6 billion figure measures

The researchers applied International Monetary Fund estimates for broad groups of economies to Australia’s 2025 GDP. The resulting scenarios put the potential lift in Australian GDP after 10 years at between $40.9 billion and $120.3 billion, with $80.6 billion representing the midpoint.

The figures describe how much larger the economy could be at the end of the period under each scenario. They represent a change in the level of GDP in year 10.

Digital literacy falls as schools roll out AI tools

Australia scored 8.7 out of 10 for access to technology and 7.5 for digital, data, media and AI capability. Separate national testing found that 37 per cent of Year 10 students met the proficient standard for information and communications technology literacy in 2025, down from 46 per cent in 2022. About one in 10 students reported receiving substantial teaching on AI-related tasks. National assessment results

The report points to two state initiatives aimed at building those skills. Queensland began rolling out an AI education platform in state schools in 2026, while Victoria introduced free specialist training for workers looking to develop AI skills or move into related roles.

The index draws on 1,128 sources and examines the conditions facing people aged 15 to 29, including access to technology, education and pathways into work. Australia had usable data for 76 of the 102 indicators used in the rankings. The researchers found too little comparable evidence to score an eighth area covering critical judgement and people’s ability to exercise control over AI systems.

Professor C. Justin Robinson, campus principal of the University of the West Indies’ Five Islands Campus, said young people should be equipped to question and improve AI tools and supported in building alternatives suited to their needs.

The report calls for affordable access to technology, more practical education and stronger links between training, employment and entrepreneurship. It also urges governments and educators to support AI tools suited to local languages and give young people ways to challenge automated decisions.