As a new government was forming in Lebanon this week, one of the country's most noted designers shared his hopes for his home country – in sartorial form.
Georges Chakra, whose atelier can be found in Beirut, presented his spring / summer 2020 collection at Paris Haute Couture Week on Monday, turning the city's Petit Palais into an embodiment of his vision for Lebanon.
Guests were given a single white rose, to symbolise Chakra's wish for peaceful change in the country, which has been wracked by protests and a national economic crisis for months.
The floral motif continued throughout the couturier's collection,whether appliqued on ethereal tulle skirts or hand-cut into featherlight petals. Bridal-worthy confections of white, complete with romantic veils, were abundant, while punchy chartreuse, coral and dreamy oceanic blue peppered the line with a certain vibrancy.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the highlights from Georges Chakra's spring / summer 2020 couture collection.
"Lebanon’s frantic energy, its youth’s desire for freedom and their rights, and the mobilisation of the recent months are at the heart of the couturier’s work, sensitive to the demands of an entire generation," show notes from the atelier revealed.
"This engagement affects Georges Chakra’s own family, the team members of his house and atelier, who will be present for the first time on the catwalk at the end of the fashion show."
Chakra also collaborated with Italian-born jeweller Fawaz Gruosi on a remarkable necklace, worn during the final look. Crafted with 46 pear-cut emeralds and 45 brilliant-cut diamonds, as well as a further 3,274 brilliant-cut white diamonds in a pave setting, proceeds from the sale of the piece will go to Beirut‘s Children Cancer Hospital and scholarships at the city's St Vincent de Paul School.
