honeyreplicas

RALEIGH, N.C. -- This is a story about a woman and a coveted handbag, but unlike most other stories about women and coveted handbags, Gigi Karmous-Edwards designed hers. Her Uvo (pronounced You-vo) is a luxury bag, made of exotic leathers in an eye-catching shape. Uvo comes from the Italian word for egg, meant to evoke life, rebirth and renewal, themes that resonate in Karmous-Edwards' story. And it came about, in a way, because of Oprah. Karmous-Edwards has always liked style. "I love the complete creativity fashion offers," she says. She even remembers the outfit her stylish mom put her in when their family emigrated from Egypt in 1968: A pale pink suit, navy blue and pink striped turtleneck and matching stockings. She liked math, physics and chemistry, too, and because she grew up with parents who were in engineering, that's the direction her career took. Yet her desire for flair didn't wane. After she got her degree in chemical engineering from N.C. State, she interviewed with chemical companies. "They wanted me in process engineering, but that would mean wearing a hard hat. So I went to grad school so I could keep my style." She and childhood friend Manal Afify got master's degrees in electrical engineering, and Karmous-Edwards' focus became global optical networks. "The best thing about being a woman in a predominantly male field is it pushes you harder, it forces you to be better." But that environment can also get wearying. She was ready for a change. Karmous-Edwards and Afify started a book club inspired by Oprah Winfrey, and the club took a spiritual turn when, in early 2008, Winfrey began focusing on Eckhart Tolle's work "A New Earth." The women thought more about creating their own destinies and what that would look like. Along the way, they did a vision board, a poster board with a collage of the things they envisioned in their lives. Karmous-Edwards put up a handbag.