Words Marwan Naaman Photography Tony Elieh
IN THE STUDIO WITH ASSAAD AWAD
116
BEIRUT’S LEATHER MASTER PLIES HIS TRADE WITH A DASH OF PERVERSION AND A WHOLE LOT OF PASSION When you visit ABC’s new department store in Verdun, you’ll see a spectacular gold and silver phoenix in the second-level store window. The over two-meter-high and three-meter-wide giant accessory, on view in ABC’s men’s department, is the work of Lebanese designer Assaad Awad, who communicated his personal vision of Beirut – as the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes – through this singular work. Over a career that has now spanned eight years, Awad has created
leather accessories for superstars like Lady Gaga and Madonna, as well as for fashion shows including Thierry Mugler’s. Pedro Almodóvar’s favorite actress, Rossy de Palma, is his close friend and muse. “She was in two of my fashion shows,” Awad says. Later this year, in late October, they will meet up in Oslo for the World Music Festival, where De Palma is staging a performance piece and Awad is unveiling a major installation. Awad is perhaps the only designer in Lebanon who has taken