Nino Mdinaradze: The Woman Behind SAKO, The World’s Next Iconic Brand

In a world woven with resilience, creativity, and heartache, Nino Mdinaradze’s journey begins in the soulful town of Kutaisi, Georgia, where life introduced her to both loss and love at a very early age. Born on December 10, 1983, Nino lost her father at just two years old. But without a father figure, the unshakeable dedication of her mother became a beacon—a woman who stood firm, selflessly molding her daughter's universe with fortitude and boundless love. It was in this union that Nino's flame was ignited.

A student at the 40th School in Kutaisi, and later at Akaki Tsereteli State University, where she majored in information technology and English, Nino's artistic inclination was always elsewhere—elsewhere in art, elsewheres in fabric, elsewhere in color. Her dolls dressed in specially designed clothes made of curtains and linens her mother voluntarily gave up, and in these childhood acts of defiance, a vision artist came into being unobtrusively.

By the time she was 20, while attending university, embroidery had become her own sanctuary. Her needle moved silently across cloth—neither for fame nor for other people—but for herself. Years went by, and when she finally shared her work with the world, it ignited something greater than she could ever have imagined. She created a group of like minds, establishing A.A(i.p.) "Georgian Embroiderers and Right-Handed Embroiderers," and together they brought homemade elegance to the forefront through exhibitions throughout Georgia.

But then life changed again. While the world came to a standstill with the pandemic, Nino was faced with a life-changing choice—to leave behind her house, her family, her kids, and embark on an entirely new life in America. Emigration is not easy. The burden of yearning was overwhelming, but she found comfort in the least expected place: in the embracing arms of a kind American family who adopted her as their own. She gave her love to two children as a nanny, healing in their laughter and strength in the embrace of her second family.

At night, when silence descended and houses slept, Nino sewed her emotions into something real. She started to adorn clothing, toyed with crystals, until one day something hit her—a beaded handbag, born of longing, patience, and love. The first she gave to Olivia, the child in her care. The delight it brought lit a new flame within her. Others followed. Orders arrived. More intricate, more individual—each one a SAKO.

Selecting the name "SAKO" was not only poetic, it was providential. While searching through translations of the word "bag," she stumbled upon the Esperanto translation—SAKO—not realizing it would perfectly reflect the names of her own children, Sandro and Ako. It was like the universe whispering, "This is yours.

Today, "SAKOHANDMADES" exists on Instagram, brimming with her colorful, luminous designs that capture the essence of home and hope. With the muted beauty of an artist and the determination of a businesswoman, Nino envisions a studio where her creativity can breathe unimpeded, where clients come in and depart with more than a handbag—she wants them to depart with a fragment of her soul.

Behind all this artistic turnaround is a force behind the scenes who envisioned Nino's genius and decided to turn it around—Dimitri Manuel, legendary producer and genius behind SAKO, who believes in the unlimited reach of SAKO. With the push from Dimitri, Nino's craft is no longer a corner of the world wide web—it's being molded into an international phenomenon.

Today, Nino Mdinaradze is no longer a mother, an artist, or an immigrant. She is a storyteller, a dreamer, and a weaver of beauty into every bead. Her dream is not only to be reunited with her children—it's to carry Georgia's cultural essence in every SAKO she sends forth into the world. And now that the stars have finally aligned, she knows one thing for certain: she's only just begun.