Downtown Beirut
The Beirut Explosion and its Effects on the Lebanese Fashion Industry
A corrupt government, a failing economy, decades of war and now a demolished capital city, the Lebanese fashion industry has been rocked by one too many disasters.
W
hen people think of fashionable locations, cities such as Paris, New York, London and Milan will usually come to mind, however there is one gem in the Arab world that is often forgotten about. The city of Beirut has long been known as the ‘Paris of the Middle East’, due to it being the hub of economic, social, intellectual, and cultural life in the Arab world, and despite decades of war and the negative impacts of a corrupt government, the city continued to be a unique and modern destination in the Middle East. Dominated by a Haute Couture aesthetic and French influence, the city has established itself as a fashion capital in the Middle East and, over the past decade, Lebanese Fashion has been a main focus on the ready-to-wear and couture runways and on the red carpet all over the world. Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad, Georges Chakra and Tony Ward are just some of Lebanon’s natives, that also just so happen to be some of the world’s most celebrated designers, who annually show their collections during Paris fashion week and have dressed celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez. Many of Lebanon’s most recognisable designers are based in Beirut, and despite having such success internationally, still have their headquarters and atelier in Beirut. The city has a uniqueness compared to many other popular fashion cities that
makes it stand out thanks to the mix of the modern and Westernised components. With the old fashioned and traditional styles, Beirut is definitely an unmatched fashion destination. With the Lebanese fashion industry continuing to grow stronger in the city, there has even been talks of Beirut having its own Fashion week in the future. It seemed like Beirut had a bright future ahead of itself in terms of Fashion. However, 2020 brought devastation for Beirut. Not only has the country had to deal with the impacts of the coronavirus, but a corrupt government and collapsing economy had already been disastrous for the city and its fashion industry. In August an explosion in the city’s port devastated the country, and caused severe damage and destruction, and killed over 200 people. What started as a small fire in Warehouse 12 at Beirut’s main port, caused by ammonium nitrate, soon turned into two massive explosions that instantly ruined the city. The blame had been put on the government, who had already been viewed in an extremely negative manner by the public due to their neglect and lack of care for the country. The Lebanese people were in extreme rage, rightfully so, as not only was the city completely overwhelmed and damaged beyond repair, but Beirut’s once thriving fashion sector had been annihilated. A majority of Beirut’s most celebrated and up-and-coming designers 82
had either their offices, boutiques or atelier completely wrecked. Years of hard work and dedication had been destroyed within moments. Zuhair Murad, one of Lebanon’s most successful and recognisable designers, had headquarters located just under 800m from where the explosion occurred and although the designer and his hundreds of staff, working in the building at the time, were lucky enough to avoid injury, Murad lost almost all of his archive of 20 years, his future couture and ready-to-wear collections and bridal gowns for clients. He took to his Instagram to show his followers the ruins that were left of his headquarters, and expressed his sadness and devastation He showed his appreciation for all the support of his family, fans and admirers, but was still left in absolute shock at what had happened to his years of hard work and dedication, and how the lives of hundreds of members of his staff had been put in danger. Probably Lebanon’s most globally celebrated fashion house Elie Saab was also extremely affected by the blast. Despite being located on Wadi Abou Jmiel Street, almost 3 miles away from the blast, Elie Saab’s headquarters, studio and the homes of Elie Saab and Elie Saab Jr. also faced serve damage and destruction, taking almost a month to repair. Again, the employees of Elie Saab were lucky and only suffered minor injuries, however this
