Elie Saab knows a thing or two about resilience.
In a country forced to endure one crisis after another, it is remarkable how the famed designer continues to deliver one incredible collection after another. With destruction mounting in Lebanon, one could forgive him for cancelling his March show and turning his focus to his loved ones instead.
But once again, in a show of strength and fortitude, Saab delivered a collection in the French capital on Saturday that nodded to the dressed-up joy of less frantic days.
This ability to bounce back has been hard-earned. Saab launched his label in Beirut in 1982 during the Lebanese civil war, drawing on the country’s tradition of couture and handwork even as the city was being torn apart by conflict. The opening of his atelier coincided with Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, which led to an occupation of parts of the country, including Beirut and the south.
While others fled Lebanon, Saab not only stayed, but invested in his homeland, offering work and a sense of stability to seamstresses, embroiderers and bead workers whose lives had been upended. Even when the war ended in 1990, he chose to remain in Beirut, using it as a springboard to seek wider recognition.
In 1997, Saab became the first Arab and first non-Italian designer invited to join Italy’s Camera Nazionale della Moda, presenting his first show outside Lebanon at Alta Moda Fashion Week in Rome.
Global recognition followed in 2002 when he dressed Academy Award winner Halle Berry.
In May 2003, Saab became the first Arab designer invited to join the prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris, later becoming the first from the region to become a permanent membre correspondant in 2006.
Throughout it all, however, Saab has remained anchored to his homeland, retaining his company headquarters and atelier in Lebanon, even when both – as well as his home – were destroyed in the 2020 Beirut blast.
Not only did Saab and his team return to work quickly after the devastating Beirut port explosion, but they also doubled down on remaking the ruined ready-to-wear collection he had presented at Paris Fashion Week. He later named his next haute couture collection “The Sacred Source” in tribute to Lebanon.
In April the following year, he announced an initiative to donate a portion of sales to Unicef's Integrated Education and Well-Being for Vulnerable Girls in Lebanon programme, once again supporting initiatives in his home country.
Today, sitting atop a global empire that spans Paris, Milan, London, New York, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Kuwait and Doha, Saab’s headquarters remain in Lebanon. More than loyalty, it reflects a deep-seated faith in – and love for – a nation that has faced more than its fair share of hardships.
Now, as Lebanon once again faces bombardment, both Saab and fellow Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad – who also presented his autumn/winter collection in Paris – have delivered shows that, rather than dwelling on sadness, are infused with a sense of joy and celebration.
Looking at the style codes of New York in the 1990s, Saab has focused on sharp silhouettes and an intentional love of dressing up. Far from frivolous, this can be seen as a deliberate act of resilience.
As tensions once again escalate across the region, Saab instead embraces the famous Lebanese joie de vivre, presenting it to the world’s fashion press in Paris.
Fashion week, by definition, is a place of fantasy and escape. Neither Saab nor Murad will have had time to rework their collections to reflect the latest round of attacks, yet against the present backdrop of the Middle East, their work inevitably takes on new resonance.
Saab’s collection speaks of easy elegance and the simple pleasure of dressing up. Even as Lebanon once again faces bombardment, it stands as a reminder that creativity and beauty can endure in the face of hardship.
In that sense, the message is simple: resilience is not only about survival, but about continuing to live – and to celebrate life – despite it all.
