Lebanese Fashion Designer Who Took Hollywood by Storm, Now Runs An

WHEN A MAN IS DENIED THE RIGHT TODAY IN QUOTE TO LIVE THE LIFE HE BELIEVES IN, 1238 1301 1856 1992 HISTORY OF THE HE HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO BECOME The Mongols burn Edward of Caernarion Colonial Tasmanian Parliament passes the Maastricht Treaty signed by DAY the Russian city of (later Edward II) be- 1st piece of legislation (the Electoral Act 12 countries from the Euro- AN OUTLAW Vladimir comes first (English) of 1856) anywhere in the world providing pean Community (EC) to cre- FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2020 NELSON MANDELA Prince of Wales for elections by way of a secret ballot ate the European Union (EU) RUNWAY HEROES Elie Saab, king of the red carpet Every time is like the first time. We always have a new item to present, a new style to reveal. It’s not easy, because I like to be perfect, always ELIE SAAB Lebanese as $150. fashion designer The next step? Developing his own e-com- merce platform, adding to his sizeable online presence in a number of regional and inter- who took national websites including Harvey Nichols and Net-A-Porter. Hollywood It is no secret the digital wave has hit even the biggest of brands and retailers. There is no guarantee Saab will not be one of them, espe- Artists on stage during the event by storm, cially given the rise of fast online fashion that imitates runway collections and gets them from concept to sale in as little as a week. now runs an The risks drive Saab, who says fear played a major role in his opening of the first shop in Arabic anime voice actors international, Beirut as a university dropout. “To be afraid in a positive way, this way, I am always afraid, because I want to be better. I don’t want to multi-million make mistakes. fulfil hearts at Riyadh expo “You can’t say, ‘I’m Elie Saab, I can do what- ever I want.’ You can’t succeed with this dollar firm A model walks on the ramp with a dress designed by Elie Saab mind,” he continues, switching to Arabic to Arab News | Riyadh say a phrase that roughly translates as, “Fear Halle Barry’s Oscar moment in Elie Saab Arabian Business | Beirut empire from scratch. always comes with success, because success isitors to Riyadh’s first anime expo in He once made an embellished wedding without fear is pointless”. November was stopped by the first or a man who has dressed some of the dress with diamonds and emeralds that re- What also helped move him forward was Vpanel unaware that they would be most famous women in the world, Elie quired so much labour it sold for an alleged the common thread that many successful and leaving the stage with memories renewed FSaab seems surprisingly unsure about $2.4m. His haute couture creations come with driven people share: the dichotomy of being of their favourite voice actors of all time. his own appearance. a hefty price tag believed to start at $12,000. afraid but also confident in his abilities. “At 17, Waheed Jalal and Jihad Al-Atrashi will “Do I look better with the jacket on or His clientele? Queen Rania, Meryl Streep, I was sure I wanted to succeed. I had already forever live on in the hearts of fans of off?” he asks his assistant, as he sits behind Angelina Jolie, you name them – Elie Saab decided to open my workshop and I had a “Grendizer” and “Treasure Island (Taka- a massive marble table in his softly-lit Paris- has dressed them. lot of people working for me. If you want to rajima),” the two shows that introduced the ian atelier, looking weary from many hours It is no wonder the 53-year-old is nick - do something, you must be sure of what you Arab world to anime in the 1970s. of adding the final touches to his imminent named the ‘King of the Red Carpet,’ though want to do. If you start out being afraid, it can Jalal, whose voice acting as “Treasure Is- Spring ready-to-wear collection. he has had years of experience. Saab started be very difficult for the people working with land” antagonist John Silver has captivated The unassuming black leather jacket comes making dresses for his sisters and relatives you. I started because I found a way to do it generations, expressed how delighted he off, then back on again, after a few reassuring aged nine, before opening his first atelier at and I found the right people to work with me. was to be with the audience. words. Hard to believe that just 48 hours 17 in the midst of the Lebanese civil war – Jordan’s Queen Rania wearing Elie Saab But [even] if I had started doing something “I want to thank you and your Kingdom later, this is the same Elie Saab who will once right after a stint in a Paris fashion school else, I would have ended up here. It’s not of generosity and culture,” he said. Artist and creator Ibrahim Al-Lami again be taking his bows on a runway in Paris that he deemed “a waste of time”. “I already of his shows before quickly disappearing out important what you do, it’s important how Meryl Streep in a dress besigned by Elie Saab Al-Atrash, who portrayed Duke Fleed, (wearing the same outfit, complete with plain knew everything,” he says of the reason he of sight. “Everybody knows I don’t like the you do it,” he says. echoed his sentiments: “You are great peo- announced that 60 percent of the work was black jeans and top). dropped out. spotlight. I don’t want to compete with my in the region, the designer shakes his head ple with great values, thank you to the completed through local efforts. “I’m a simple man,” he says, laughing at the And he was right. He did not need much product,” he says. Giving back in disapproval at the notion. “I don’t want to people of the Kingdom that stand next to “We’ll introduce a new work that is by our suggestion that his own dress sense is far more schooling. In 2002, he became the first Leba- Despite having put on dozens of shows, It is this mentality that Saab bestows on see more Elie Saabs. Fashion designers need people of all nations.” people, written by our people and voiced by modest than his creations. But while his attire nese designer to ever dress an Oscar winner. however, Saab still gets nervous when releas- students he mentors in Lebanon, a homeland to have their own style and vision. To be like Jalal was touched by the audience’s love We’re persevering to our people,” he said to the audience. maybe simple, the real Elie Saab is a complex As luck would have it, it was Halle Barry, ing a collection, admitting, “Every time is like he vows he has never left behind. Besides Elie Saab or anyone else, this is not a fashion and warm welcome, “You guys are the rea- this day because people The work will feature characters voiced and canny man, who has single-handedly whose tearful acceptance speech for the the first time. We always have a new item to paving the way to Hollywood for other Arab designer.” son we continued this far, without you it loved these characters by Jalal and Al-Atrash, who have become created a multi-million dollar global fashion best-actress award for Monster’s Ball was present, a new style to reveal. It’s not easy, designers such as Zuhair Murad, Georges Saab is helping young talent find their own wouldn’t have been possible,” he told them. we portrayed so much, symbolic to the Arab anime world. “I told watched by millions across the world, put- because I like to be perfect, always.” Chakra and Rami Al Ali, Saab has collaborated style, however, by appearing as a judge and “We’re persevering to this day because our other works pale in them, this work wouldn’t be complete with- ting Saab on centre stage. The green-mesh While perfection is an impossible goal, on a number of educational projects to help mentor on the Middle Eastern version of people loved these characters we portrayed out you two,” said Lami on his choice of and deep-red embroidered gown gained so Saab’s career to date is impressive by almost develop fashion in the region. One of those American reality television show Project comparison voice actors. “We want these works to see much exposure that it remains on Oscar’s best any standards. Today, his brand is sold in over ventures saw him launch a Bachelor’s Degree Runway, which debuted in 2016 and helps WAHEED JALAL the light of day. We need to provide the new dressed lists to this day. 150 wholesale points worldwide in major cit- in Fashion Design course at the Lebanese aspiring designers. And while he believes the generations with tales of our own,” added So what did Saab already know that allowed ies such as London, Dubai and New York. He American University (LAU) in 2011, which he region is off to a good start when it comes to so much, our other works pale in compar- Al-Atrash when asked why he wanted to him to prosper in a notoriously fickle and has plans to expand in the US with five more claims is the first official degree of its kind developing its industry, he argues it has many ison,” he added.

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