Karim, Liliane, Rony, and Romeo — the Daou family — grew up in a household where culture was not just appreciated, it was lived. From a young age, their parents encouraged them to travel: every summer, instead of staying in Lebanon like most of their peers, they ventured abroad to explore a new country, join cultural programs, and meet people from around the world. These experiences didn’t just broaden their horizons, they shaped them. Travel became a core part of their identity, turning them into true global citizens.

Among them, Liliane felt a deep pull toward storytelling. After spending four months traveling the world by boat, she published a book sharing narratives from the cultures she encountered; a love she continues to nurture through her travel blog today. But even then, she and her siblings knew there was more they could do. They wanted to build something, something lasting, something rooted in cultural appreciation and creativity.

Living in New York, Liliane and Rony (the twins) began developing new passions. Liliane became captivated by the city’s fashion scene, not the trends, but the individuality. She found herself drawn to vintage statement pieces that whispered of other times and places, each one a wearable memory. Rony, on the other hand, fell in love with music, specifically vinyl records. To him, they weren’t just relics, but vessels of history, emotion, and heritage. He began hosting “vinyl nights,” where friends would gather to listen the rhythms of the past and present.

 One day, while walking through their New York neighborhood, the twins stumbled upon dusty boxes of discarded vinyl records. As they browsed through them, talking to shop owners, flipping through stacks, they learned many were unsellable or unplayable. But to Liliane and Rony, these records still held magic: echoes of forgotten eras, sounds of cultures once lived and still alive. That’s when the idea struck: what if these records could be reborn as objects of beauty? What if they could tell stories, just in a different form?

 They shared the idea with their brothers Karim and Romeo, and the concept of CAHAIA, a culture house, was born.

It began with the discs. The family experimented with transforming these old records into meaningful pieces. What started as handbags quickly evolved into something more, people saw them as fashion statements, as decor, as conversation pieces. This sparked a bigger vision: a brand that celebrates global culture, beginning with fashion and expanding into art, design, weaving a world where creativity becomes the bridge between people and culture.

To protect the original music rights, they reimagined the record labels. They developed a model where each collection is rooted in a specific region, with every handbag inspired by a music genre from that part of the world. They collaborated with local designers to reflect the aesthetic and spirit of each culture, partnered with a factory that upcycles vinyl to keep the process sustainable, and brought the vision to life through expert craftsmanship.

Each CAHAIA handbag tells a story, of sound, of soul, of a people and a place.

With CAHAIA, we invite you to carry more than a fashion piece. We invite you to carry a piece of the world with you.