A journey into the exceptional Travel Retail Newsletter | July 2011
Dear Partners, Et Pythagorici scaelestos homines in bruta deformant et, si Empedocli11 creditur, in plantas. Quas imitatus Maumeth frequenshabebat in ore, qui a divina lege recesserit brutum evadere12. The Travel retail Marketing Teamt
Elie Saab himself The Man, The House Elie Saab has a clear and visionary gaze marked with a relentless determination to serve his international fashion ambition. Present at important artistic and cultural events, the House of Elie Saab shines its aura on celebrities and women of the world. Appointed as an associate member of the French Federation of Haute Couture, Saab makes Lebanon radiate through his collections which are prized by well known celebrities. In 2007 the House of Elie Saab unveiled his first Parisian boutique at 1, Rond Point des Champs-Elysées. This is the portrait of a man who has come far to build an empire.
An Atypical Trajectory If Elie Saab is the name of a designer, it has also become that of an empire - a universe of Couture dresses which emerge every day from his workshop. Twenty-five years earlier, the brand did not exist. Let’s take a look at the atypical trajectory of a designer who laid down the foundation for his House of Fashion solely with a turn of the wrist. The prototype of the self-made man, Elie Saab’s fashion vocation is precocious.
He was born in Beirut in 1964 - the eldest of five children -and developed an interest in fashion at a young age. From the age of nine, he spent his free time drawing sketches and cutting patterns for his sisters’ outfits, slashing his mother’s tablecloths and curtains. Quickly spotted in the neighborhood for his talents, he soon gained a small, loyal clientele. In 1982 at 18 years old, he founded his own workshop, supervised a staff of 12 and organized his first fashion show in Lebanon. He learned to accept challenges, overcome obstacles and manage crises because of Lebanon’s unstable political situation. From this experience acquired over the years, he adopted the following way of life: hold tight, fight, live life to its fullest and take on difficult situations in order to have good reflexes. And alwvays do it in such a way as to ensure the House’s activity will not be affected. Bit-by-bit, his creations appeared throughout the country. He led in establishing markets throughout the Middle East. Year after year, he built and reinforced his reputation thanks to that loyal private clientele - still one of the keys to his success today. He is and always has been close to women.
Elie Saab, A Leader Behind the designer hides a strategist and a leader. “Elie Saab knows how to establish his priorities and pass them on : at the same time protective father and company head, he guides and trains his teams with utmost simplicity. His office is a place of dialogue, always open to his collaborators. Calmly, he settles details and decides on important questions with perpetual constancy. He takes time for reflection and never takes out his fears on his immediate entourage. His temperament allows him to forestall production, orient his teams and give them precise tasks for both the short and long term. Thanks to an
incredible capacity for concentration, he is an impetus for all of us”, one of his close When you visit the workshops or the backstage on the eve of runway shows,
you are surprised by the dutiful silence. Elie Saab never yields to panic and pumps an unequaled inner strength for the energy to undertake - head on and in calmness - five collections per year couture.
A Man with Heart ready-to-wear, and a collaboration since 2003 with Pronovias, a leader Group of wedding dresses). He supervises all the phases of creation and sketches a collection of accessories, and, for his personal pleasure, a line of contemporary furniture. Nothing escapes his attentive eye : Elie Saab watches over
everything. His overall vision of the industry always allows
INTERVIEW
And when he leaves his workshops, Saab is inspired by his travels across Europe and the United States. Although he is discreet about his private life, it is a source of daily balance at the heart of his life. Surrounded by his wife Claudine and their three sons, he is profoundly respectful of family values. He draws from his family strength, life energy and youth. Claudine - brand historian, loyal supporter and muse - is in charge of communication and works in tandem with her husband. From the beginning, Elie Saab developed his sartorial skills in creating
Why launch a perfume? I had a dream, since the beginning of my career, to create my own perfume… Just as with my dresses, I want to bring beauty into women’s lives. To put a touch of exceptional into all women’s lives. Why now? Thanks to my ready to wear and accessory lines, and the opening of new boutiques (Dubai) the ELIE SAAB brand is now reaching an ever-broader audience. Launching a perfume was the natural next step, to share the ELIE SAAB brand’s femininity with more women over the world. How did the collaboration come to be with BPI ? I have always wanted to create a perfume, but was looking for the right partners to do it with. I chose to work with BPI, because of our common values such as high standards of excellence and requirements. It is a partnership based on respect and BPI’s commitment to translate the ELIE SAAB values & codes into perfumes and cosmetics. What does perfume represent for you? Since childhood, I’ve always loved smells; I think it comes from the fact that I grew up in a city on the Mediterranean, where I was surrounded by many scents of flowers. Do you wear perfume? I do wear perfume, but I don’t wear any one perfume in particular.
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Around Elie Saab Beyrout: l’envers du décors
Elie Saab stores
In 1982 at 18 years old, he founded his own workshop, a unsupervised a staff of 12 and he organized his first fashion show oiyin Lebanon. He learned to accept challenges,
Elie Saab has a clear and visionary gaze marked with a relentless determination to serve his international fashion ambition. Present at important artistic and cultural events, the House of Elie Saab shines its aura on celebrities and women of the world. Appointed as an associate member of the French Federation of Haute Couture, Saab makes Lebanon radiate through his collections which are prized by well .
Les ateliers de création overcome obstacles and manage crises because of Lebanon’s unstable political situation. From this experience acquired over the years, he adopted
If Elie Saab is the name of a designer, it has also become that of an empire - a universe of Couture dresses which emerge every day from his workshop.
Twenty-five years earlier, the brand did not exist. Let’s take a look at the atypical trajectory of a designer who laid down the foundation for his House of Fashion solely with a turn of the wrist. The prototype of the self-made man, Elie Saab’s fashion vocation is precocious. He was born in Beirut in 1964 - the eldest of five children -and developed an interest in fashion at a young age. From the age of nine, he spent his free time drawing sketches and cutting patterns for his sisters’ outfits, slashing his mother’s tablecloths and curtains. Quickly spotted in the neighborhood for his talents, he soon gained a small, loyal clientele.- utting patterns for his sisters’ outfits, slashing. entele.- utting patterns for his sisters’ outfits, slashing.
The Woman’s Designer Elie Saab is, and always has been, close to women. And when asked what the keys are to his success, Saab simply answers, “It’s the desire for women who want to wear my dresses.” Over the years, the designer prides himself on opening up fashion to seductive style and awakening eternal femininity. Varying styles and constantly increasing breadth, he has drawn the most sought-after collections : they center around a strong concept or revisit a period in the history of fashion through the prism of glamour. Elie Saab’s tastes are sure : he is answering a real demand of women who aim to please.
The Humblest of Stars
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the following way of life: hold tight, fight, live life to its fullest and take on difficult situations in order to have good reflexes. And alwvays do it in such a way as to ensure the House’s activity will not be affected.
Derrières les coulisses Behind the designer hides a strategist and a leader. “Elie Saab knows how to establish his priorities and pass them on : at the same time protective father and company head, he guides and trains his teams with utmost simplicity. His office is a place of dialogue, always open to his collaborators. Calmly, he settles details and decides.
The Design Studio: The Heart of the Craft
Winning over one by one the hearts of his clients to this day remains the best communication tool for the House of Elie Saab. Year after year, his creations demand respect and through him, the brand builds an image and notoriety. With the opening of the new Parisian location, the brand shines. For Elie Saab, Paris is the fashion capital and the most beautiful store front.Seducing more and more public figures, as well as numerous crowned heads, the
The Elie Saab development pillar, the design studio holds a unique know-how, shared by all the sketch drawers, the embroiderers and the seamstresses. In the same way, the House of Elie Saab works with the most important craft artisans and French and Italian suppliers. Every year, several hundred dresses are made-to-order, each one inspected by Elie Saab. In order to reduce the constraints of fittings, regular clients toiles and bust forms are kept in the atelier. This new form .-order, each one inspected.
brand is built on true legitimacy. And the unavoidable VIP events of the world. are the occasion to demonstrate it. Whether they are going up the steps of the Cannes Film Festival. crowd Hollywood’s red carpets or are receiving prestigious awards.
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From couture to perfume An artisan of the sublime Couture is the raison d’être of the ELIE SAAB fashion house, a passion driven the designer for more than 25 years. An instinctual designer, Elie Saab has an innate sense of cut; he adjusts his creations directly on the female form, draping fabric on the body, without drawing, without patterns. Tucked away in the heart of Beirut, the designer’s studio hides a priceless know-how, one shared by all his stylists, embroiderers and seamstresses. Over one hundred prodigious seamstresses are employed by the Couture House in
The art of magnifying femininity “I like ‘womanly women’, women who twirl their dresses with desire and pride” Elie Saab says. “Ever since my childhood in Lebanon, I’ve examined the way they dress, I’ve always wanted to please them by flattering their curves.” This is where his consummate talent for sharpening women’s sensuality while respecting their elegance comes from. Never let the magic waiver. The couturier admits that “his sole ambition is to inject beauty into the lives of women.” And women know it. The world’s most demanding women are almost cult like in their admiration for him; they know that with their favorite designer, their beauty, as much as their dreams, will be magnified. A marriage between a fabulous imagination and pure lines
his Lebanese workshop, including more than 50 embroidery fairies with lynx like eyes who stitch the amazing silks. Each year, between 800 and 1000 dresses are made to measure, including the luxurious wedding dresses.
His incredibly rich imagination feeds off of many things, from 1950’s glamour to the creations of architectural masters such as Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright. An object, a piece of cloth, or even a movie can be the inspiration for a runway show…
Elie Saab is a genial alchemist who distills in his creations as much simplicity as he does splendor. His luxurious signature embroideries and luscious draping are always offset by his impeccable cuts and rigorous
architecture, which make for such modern silhouettes. A sense of measure and a passion for architecture can also be seen in his minimalist boutiques. Under his guidance, East and West, splendor and simplicity, curves and rigor play off each other, giving rise to universal balance, a place where elegance is king.
The promise of the exceptional Elie Saab is a magician. He doesn’t just make spectacular dresses, he makes women’s dreams come true; he brings to life the universal childhood dream of being a princess among
The perfume launching Paris, FRANCE Couture is the raison d’être of the ELIE SAAB fashion house, a passion driven the designer for more than 25 years. An instinctual designer, Elie Saab has an innate sense of cut; he adjusts his creations directly on the female form, draping fabric on the body, without drawing, without patterns. Tucked away in the heart of Beirut, the designer’s
Paris, FRANCE
Paris, FRANCE Couture is the raison d’être of the ELIE SAAB fashion house, a passion driven the designer for more than 25 years. An instinctual designer, Elie Saab has an innate sense of cut; he adjusts his creations directly on the female form, draping fabric on the body, without drawing, without patterns. Tucked away in the heart of Beirut, the designer’s studio hides a priceless know-how, one shared by all his stylists, embroiderers and seamstresses. Over one hundred prodigious seamstresses are employed by the Couture House in his Lebanese workshop, including more than 50 embroidery fairies with lynx like eyes who stitch the amazing silks. Each year, between 800 and 1000 dresses are made to measure, including the luxurious
Couture is the raison d’être of the ELIE SAAB fashion house, a passion driven the designer for more than 25 years. An instinctual designer, Elie Saab has an innate sense of cut; he adjusts his creations directly on the female form, draping fabric on the body, without drawing, without patterns. Tucked away in the heart of Beirut, the designer’s
Paris, FRANCE Couture is the raison d’être of the ELIE SAAB fashion house, a passion driven the designer for more than 25 years. An instinctual designer, Elie Saab has an innate sense of cut; he adjusts his creations directly on the female form, draping fabric on the body, without drawing, without patterns. Tucked away in the heart of Beirut, the designer’s