Zuhair Murad Paper

Frances Pace Andrea Penalba

Zuhair Murad Aesthetic

Some call Zuhair Murad the ‘King of Italian Catwalks’, others say that ‘If you’re hoping to create fireworks on the red carpet, Zuhair Murad is your man.’. Either way, Zuhair is known for his evening gowns and bridal wear which tend to be covered in embellishments of any kinds.

From beading, to embroidery to silk flowers, Zuhair’s pieces are no doubt some of the most intricate gowns both on the runway and the red carpet. Murad was born in Ras Baalbek, Lebanon in 1971 but now has a residency in Paris, France. Growing up in Lebanon, he takes a lot of his inspiration from there. Murad says “Lebanon is a country where great civilizations and culture come together. For me, the archaeological sites are a vital part of what I try to portray in my dresses. More importantly, people of my place and its eccentric nightlife always give me new ideas. It seems as if they are endless.”

In interviews, Murad always mentions that he started sketching and designing at age ten, and that he always knew he wanted to be a designer. He won a television contests with only three outfits that were ‘brilliantly thought through and reflected his taste for grand fashion’ at the age of fourteen. Growing up with women, he found it so important to dress them in a way that made them feel confident and beautiful. He often says “I’m always making beautiful dresses. This is my aim: to make the woman feel beautiful, feel sexy and elegant. This is always my aim. I will never change. I will always keep working on myself to do always something new but at the same time to keep this feeling. For me, this is the most important.”

Which is why he has become so popular on the red carpet. He has styled the likes of Marion

Cotillard, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Priyanka Chopra, Kerry Washington and many more. One of his most famous designs was a silver bodysuit worn by Taylor Swift on her ‘1989’ tour.

But, he didn’t always start off this successful, obviously, it takes time to become this

way. So, after always knowing he wanted to be a designer, Zuhair opened his first atelier in 1997 at the age of 26. This Atelier was in Beirut and ‘catered to a growing private clientele”.

Four years later, in 2001, he presented his first couture collection during Haute Couture Week in Paris, which gave him publicity and helped catapult his brand. Four years after showing his first couture show, he debuted his first ready-to-wear collection. According to his website, this collection was ‘a more simple- yet still aesthetically glamorous- contemporary line’. Though his style has clearly evolved, even in those early collections, his love of embroidery and detail is clear. His first ready-to-wear collection in 2005 sticks to the same color palette that he uses today. Lots of white, black, silver embroidery and details, the only exception is his use of bright pink, which he does not often use today.

Continuing in his career, he opened his “Maison de Couture’ in the Triangle d-Or on

‘Francois 1er’ Street in Paris. According to his website, ‘The ground floor of the Parisian showroom is dedicated to ready-to-wear collections, whereas a new luxurious yet simplistic floor is inaugurated to display the couture and bridal dresses’. As well, this showroom contains a workshop and a design studio meant to act as an extension of his Lebanese Fashion House. In 2009, he made his first appearance on the Golden Globes red carpet with Jenna Fischer wearing one of his creations. Followed shortly thereafter with Miley Cyrus wearing a V-neck ball gown of his with a tiered and scalloped skirt to the Oscars. Then in 2012, the Zuhair Murad Fashion

House relocated to a new building in Gemmayze, the ‘heart’ of Beirut. It housed corporate offices as well as the Zuhair Murad Design Studio. In 2014, he added a two-floor bridal boutique to the building. The same year (2012), he was also elected as a new guest member to the Haute Couture calendar by the supervisory board of the Chambre syndicale de la Haute couture in Paris. In 2015, he opened a second office in Paris and in 2016, he opened his first ready-to-wear boutique in the UK at Harrods of London along with a store at Harvey Nichols in Kuwait. When looking at all his stores, they share a common aesthetic, one that helps to showcase the gowns.

He keeps the décor very simplistic with wood, white lacquer and glass. By keeping this so minimal, the customer focuses on the clothing and the detail within those.

When looking at one of his creations, the detail and craft is so clear. Murad describes his

style as ‘luxurious and ultra-feminine’. He says in an interview, “I've always thought our customer is a woman that exudes glamour, and whether she's walking down the red carpet in Cannes or at a black-tie dinner in New York, she's the most glamorous woman in the room. For me, that's all that matters.". He focuses heavily on ‘a strong silhouette embellished with ornate and intricate designs that will guarantee a red-carpet show stopper every time’. He focuses on highlighting the natural shape and curves of a woman’s body. So, to easily do this, he uses lots of sheer materials such as silk, chiffon, tulle and lace. These materials make it easy of the handbeading and the appliques to really stand out, they allow him to ‘reveal as much as I like, while maintaining a certain degree of mystery as well”. Speaking on the ornate and intricate designs, Murad says that it may take upwards of 300 hours of work between creation and production for one look yet some of his most intricate gowns can take almost 1,000 hours to complete.

Murad also talked in an interview with Pop Sugar that “Every piece is worked on tirelessly until

we, me and my atelier, are satisfied. With details as minute as the placement of an ostrich feather or crystal, it can also be a studio-wide debate for hours!" And at each show he shows around 45 looks, so if you do the math, that’s tons of time for one show, and he shows either couture or ready-to-wear every season, sometimes both.

To all his work, Murad adds a Middle Eastern touch. He tries to keep the creation and

process of his pieces in the Middle East, yet he adds something new and modern to this oriental curve making it pleasant and one of a kind. Lebanese people, youth memories, specific smells, customs, and many other diverse components have affected his aesthetic through the years.

Nature and scene, where tones and hues mix to make awesome landscapes consistently, fill in as an incredible wellspring of motivation for Murad. The characteristic dynamic quality of his home city makes the most one of a kind and unparalleled views he has ever observed. The combination of a cosmopolitan European know-how and a rich Middle Eastern social legacy are always present inside the lifestyle of his nation of origin. In any case, above all, style is a Lebanese way of life, Zuhair mention in his interview with Savoir Flair. He believes that everyone is into fashion and on trend and women are lovely thus smart; so, it does not shock anyone that each season his accumulations praise women elegance and excellence. When talking about what inspires him, more than just surface level, he says "The woman is the first thing that inspired me," he reveals. "She's always well-dressed, even on the street, even if she wears jeans or a T-shirt, she's always perfect.". He believes rather than to change a woman’s appearance, he just needs to emphasize what makes her unique.

Over 20 years his aesthetic has evolved to put a cutting edge turn on conventional

structures. There is a sensual, ladylike lavishness to his style, yet the outlines have turned out to

be more current, as has the styling. Over-the-knee boots, felt caps, thief tops and the lighthearted instinctive nature of the models give his most recent couture gathering a '70s shake chick vibe, yet there is no questioning the luxuriousness of the materials and the embellishments. While over the years his style has changed from season to season, when looking at his collections overall, it’s very clear to see his aesthetic. He pulls from both what he knows and what inspires him to create these lavish designs, which have garnered him world- wide recognition.

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Saran, Shakti. "Zuhair Murad." Fashion Designers, Brands & Celebrities. N.p., 29 Aug. 2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Tran, Khanh T.L. "Zuhair Murad on Dressing J.Lo, Sofia Vergara, Blake Lively and Barbie."WWD. N.p., 18 Nov. 2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Vasilieva, Aneliya. "Zuhair Murad Over the Years." Fashion Style Mag. N.p., 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Webster, George. "Lebanese Designer-to-the-stars Zuhair Murad Finds Magic in Beirut."CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

"Zuhair Murad." Zuhair Murad. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

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