Designer causes anger by dressing models in Syrian regime uniforms

Syrian fashion designer Manal Ajaj poses on the catwalk with models wearing army uniforms of the Syrian regime at the end of her fashion show in Beirut. (AFP)

BEIRUT: Syrian fashion designer Manal Ajaj shocked her audience at a show she presented on Wednesday by dressing young Lebanese male models in army uniforms of the Syrian regime.
Lebanon, which hosts 1 million Syrian refugees, has tried to stay neutral in the Syrian conflict.
And it was only 12 years ago that the Syrian Army ended its three-decade presence in Lebanon after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri.
The audience included Ajaj’s friends, Lebanese and foreign celebrities, and media figures. “This is the second show for Ajaj in Beirut,” Johnny Fadlallah, whose company L.I.P.S. Management organized the event, told Arab News.
“I didn’t understand what happened at the end of the show. I was engaged with preparations at the backstage. I heard some criticism and some praise for the show, and most critical people were from the media. They asked me why Ajaj was a fanatic supporter of the Syrian regime,” he said, adding that her show last year focused on Syrian suffering under Daesh.
“I don’t understand politics. I simply support the party of beauty and fashion. I know Ajaj is a supporter of the Syrian regime. She lives in the UAE, but she has a workshop in Damascus.”
Lebanese fashion journalist Hadia Sinno told Arab News: “I was surprised, like many others, about what happened at the end of the show, when young men came on the catwalk wearing Syrian Army uniforms.”