BEIRUT: Lebanese designer Salim Azzam, loved by Jordan’s Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, started his brand to revive the skills of the artisans in Mount Lebanon and give them international exposure.
The designer, who has a modern take on traditional garments, told Arab News: “I’ve used fashion for two main reasons: To tell stories and celebrate the culture where I come from and also to give the women of the region the opportunity to do what they do best, which is crafts.”
Azzam said that women in Lebanon have used these crafts to create decor pieces until the skill became outdated and people lost interest in it.
“So, I thought fashion was an answer to actually make it current and actually allow this craft to live between the people and be wearable and movable,” he said.
“I wanted to share things about where I come from, but also make them a global story,” he added.
“When I started designing silhouettes and cuts, I was very much inspired by the people where I come from,” he said. “So, you see a lot of whites in my collections inspired by the white veils. You see a classic take on the ‘sherwel’ and things that are oversized because people don’t show much care there.
“So, I think subconsciously I’ve done design decisions inspired by where I come from. I started illustrating things that were engraved in my memory,” he said.
Besides designing garments for both women and men, Azzam also creates hand embroidered bags, table linens, embroidery kits and slippers.
Azzam, whose designs are available in the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, believes that the best way to compete on an international scale is to stay “authentic to who you are and to be different.
“I think, in fact, everything that I do has been a great point of strength that is making me step into the outside world and have something to share and something new to offer that is unique,” he said.
“The challenge is to turn a personal story into a global story and make people relate to it,” added Azzam. “Fashion is all about desire. It takes people to different places I would love to share what we have in this country one piece at a time in every country that we land in.”
