At the Conrad Hotel, inside the cosy Vesna Restaurant some serious luxury was happening. The event was organized by Parapluie and hosted by Rasha Shaar. It was a little get together to meet 3 talented Lebanese designers and see their products: Zeina Slaiby, Wassila Skayki and Sandra Rizk. Fashion and Friendship unites these 3 women. Their unique proposals and their stories are worth sharing.
We are all aware by now that Lebanon is a power house when it comes to design, fashion design in particular. Whether clothes, or accessories, everyday there are new players. Let me introduce you to these 3 mosqueteers. Friends in Fashion and outside it. I am sure you will see their products very soon in malls and in luxury boutiques all over the UAE.
ZEINA SLAIBY
This beautiful lady is the one behind these very dreamy gowns. Having fairy tales as this collection inspiration, she plays with embroidery, sequins, transparencies, and hand glue glitter. This will avoid you getting entangled with any thread and breaking the line of embellishments when putting on the dress. Still you will need a dry cleaner but I find this solution great to keep the gown in perfect shape for longer. Zeina Slaiby likes the oriental elegance of Arab women and understands them very well.
Zeina story is really interesting. Let’s put it this way, she is our Amal Clooney. Why? She was a lawyer and even specialised in Diplomacy with a Masters in Diplomacy and Strategic Negotiations. But she always enjoyed fashion, so after all this, she started studying Stylism and decided that she wanted to start her own brand. Just one week after launching her first collection, she got a chance to be on TV to talk about it. She was so articulate and so passionate about the topic, that they offered her to host a fashion segment in Rotana Khaleej and in LBC Sat that is still going on weekly. What about for a zig zag career? Talent and creativity always finds its way out … one way or another.
WASSILA SKAYKI
Wassila Skayki does jewellery and I say she does, because she designs and manufactures it. Her family owns a mine and a cutting factory of diamonds in Africa, where she grew up. Her beautiful and delicate designs are normally made to order. She plays with the Arabic calligraphy and whatever symbols the customer is requesting (animals, flowers, hearts… any shape!). The combination is strikingly beautiful, with diamonds and other precious stones to achieve the desired effect.
One of her rings was simply remarkable. The ring is shaped as a butterfly. It has some sort of mechanism that every time you move your finger, it allows the wings of the butterfly to move gracefully.
But Wassila Skayki still has more in store. She studied Marketing first, Fashion after (at Esmod Beirut) and she has also a brand of ready to wear clothes. This woman is a little box of surprises!
Follow her Instagram here.
SANDRA RIZK
The bags of Sandra Rizk are full of personality, having some of them bullets as embellishments and closures. She even mentioned that initially the bullets were real, and she had to change them to fake ones for security reasons. The bags were getting so much attention and she didn’t want to send the wrong message.
Sandra uses plenty of colours on python, lizard, water snake, crocodile, fur, and leather. Sandra is not shy when it comes to make her bags eye catching. Gold Jewellery Crowns, Oversized Crocodiles, Orchids, and the above-mentioned Bullets are part of the embellishments over the flaps or the closures. The shapes- very structured- and the two sizes are great for different occasions.
Sandra Rizk-a former Miss Lebanon- lived in Dubai some years (working in TV and Real Estate). Now is fully dedicated to her brand and her family. She is creative by nature, so she will keep surprising us with interesting designs.
