Exclusive Interview | Elie Saab – A Visionary Couturier – L'Officiel Australia #LOfficielFashionBook

Abundance of sequins, laces, roses and other ethereal details – these are the prerogative of Elie Saab, a Lebanese fashion powerhouse and a visionary designer of his namesake label. The latest fragrance by Elie Saab, the eau de toilette Rose Couture is a fragrant homage to his dearest flower Rose, his love quite evident through recurring themes in his designs of rose and lush flower motifs.

On this occasion L’Officiel rendezvoused with Saab on his most coveted latest fragrance Eau De Toilette Rose Couture, struggles, war, his namesake label, and love for Lebanon.

Trust me its nothing short of a Dream Sequence talking to this Undisputed King of Middle East Fashion.

’O You started very young in your career in fashion. How did that happen?

Elie Saab: I was only a teenager when I started. As the oldest of my siblings, and also due to complex political situation in Lebanon, I developed a strong sense of responsibility at a very young age. I was always surrounded by beautiful women who inspired me, and then I came up with an idea to cut patterns and make dresses for my sisters, cousins and neighbour girls. A very young age I realized that I looked at the world in a different way than other children. I saw people around me not as they were, but what they could be if they would dress differently.

’O Is it conceivable that you could have another career, or is fashion your destiny?

ES: I could had been an architect, but I believe that fashion is indeed my destiny. I was born with a passion for designing and making dresses. This passion stems from my need, wherever I can, to emphasize the elegance and femininity of women.

’O A couture house set in a war zone, was it a conscious decision by you to bring beauty and elegance to a country at war?

ES: Growing up in a country that was torn in war, my childhood and teenage years have not been easy. But the strength and determination of the Lebanese people have encouraged me to pursue my dreams. We have all grown up in a country where everything was destroyed again and again, and rebuilt again. Over the years this has encouraged me to go to my belief that nothing can dissuade me from my destiny. In addition, the rich Lebanese culture is also a great source of inspiration. They’re back in the choice of materials and luxurious fabrics that I use in my creations. I believe that I, like other Lebanese people, have been exposed to so much horror that I have developed a strong multicultural sensitivity and maturity.

We have all grown up in a country where everything was destroyed again and again, and rebuilt again. Over the years this has encouraged me to go to my belief that nothing can dissuade me from my destiny.

’O You were the first non-Italian designer to become a member of the Italian Camera Nazionale della Moda. Which is the honour you cherish most?

ES: Showing in Rome was a first step into the European fashion world. In 2000, when I was invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to present for the first time my haute couture collection in Paris. I was extremely proud and realised that it would mark my entry into the international fashion industry and the launch of my brand on a larger scale. Six years later, I was elected an honorary member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Those were important steps in my career. I’m grateful to the people who believed in my work. This gives me the greatest satisfaction and more responsibility to maintain what I have done.

’O How have you seen women’s tastes change over the years in haute couture?

ES: I don’t agree with the current pessimism that haute couture is on its way out. I believe that haute couture will always exist, in some form or another, evolving and adapting itself to women’s changing lifestyles. I am for haute couture which is modern and offers the woman of today a flexible service, catering to her every need. My clientele has evolved in the last few years, as it has been different from the original one, which was exclusively from the Middle-East. There are now more Asian, Russian and European customers every season. There is also a younger clientele, which is showing interest in couture.

’O Who are the designers, you have loved and admired over the years?

ES: I admire Mr. Valentino, who has great respect for women and made them look their best.

’O Can you tell us about your new fragrance Elie Saab Le Parfum? How does it capture the spirit of your eponymous label?

ES: As with my collections, it is women first and foremost, who inspire me. I wanted to put a magnified vision of femininity into my perfume. I also put in a lot of my childhood memories into creating this perfume. I wanted to transcribe the light of the Middle-East into a universal and modern perfume.

’O What is your definition of beauty, both in fashion and in perfume?

ES: In fashion is about the ideal combination of simplicity, elegance, perfect cut and feminine details. I want to broaden my vision of beauty and perfume while I strove to unite the inside duality of my world, namely the context of the Middle East and the modernity of the West.

’O What future do you envision for Elie Saab?

ES: One of my virtues is patience, so I take my time and study all the steps thoroughly before making any strategic move. You have to find the right opportunity and the appropriate timing to move forward. It has been my strategy throughout my career. This year marks a turning point in the way I present ready-to-wear. I wanted to introduce a woman, who takes the codes of the House and feels free to portray them in her own way. I tried to infuse youth into the collection to show what day wear means for the house. My goal is to reinvent a woman’s best assets, to give her a new vision of herself.