The Handbag House That Thinks Like a Metaphysician
Updated: Jul 29
Written by Dina Baki, Designer and Co-founder of KYŪ
Dina Baki is the co-founder of KYŪ, a design-led brand she built alongside her partner Rasha, translating cosmic inspiration into handcrafted objects. Her work explores the relationship between the universe, form, and material, redefining modern luxury through conscious design.
KYŪ approaches design through a way of thinking that is closer to metaphysics than traditional fashion. In philosophy, metaphysics studies the structures that exist beneath visible reality. It examines the relationships between form, space, balance, movement, perception, and the systems that shape how we experience the world. It is concerned with what gives something presence before meaning is assigned to it.
KYŪ applies this way of thinking to design. Before a handbag becomes a product, trend, or accessory, it exists as a study of proportion, tension, geometry, movement, and interaction with the body. The process begins by analysing how form influences perception and function simultaneously.
A curve can soften the visual weight of an object. A sharp edge can create precision and tension. The placement of volume changes how a piece moves when carried. Scale alters the relationship between the object and the person wearing it. These decisions are not made solely for decoration. They shape the physical and psychological experience of the object.
Each KYŪ piece is developed through observation and structural refinement. We study balance, symmetry, asymmetry, gravity, ergonomics, and how an object occupies the space around the body. Designs go through continuous adjustments until the proportions feel resolved from every angle.
This is where the connection to metaphysics lies, in the belief that form affects experience before language does.
The philosophy also influences how we think about materials and construction. Materials are selected not only for their appearance, but also for how they hold structure, create movement, reflect light, age over time, and support the intended geometry of the design.
References to galaxies and celestial systems come from the same thought process. The universe operates through invisible structures, including orbit, expansion, alignment, repetition, tension, and balance. These principles inform how KYŪ approaches shape and composition.
For KYŪ, a handbag is not treated as surface decoration. It is treated as an object designed through systems of relationships between structure and softness, function and form, body and space, and precision and emotion.
This approach defines the foundation of the brand. It is not design created to follow noise, but design developed through observation, structure, and intentional form.
Read more from Dina Baki
Dina Baki, Designer and Co-founder of KYŪ
Dina Baki is a designer and co-founder of KYŪ, a contemporary brand developed in partnership with Rasha Abdallah. Her work is driven by an interest in how abstract forces, such as energy, structure, and alignment, can take physical form through objects. Working closely with local craftsmanship and available materials, she approaches design as a process of discovery rather than production. Through both her creations and writing, she explores new ways of understanding luxury, less as status, and more as intention made visible.
