Function’s form
Photo by Tinko Czetwertynski
Rabih Kayrouz lets Beirut speak through his designs. He believes that good clothes, like good homes, should be as comfortable to live in as they are beautiful to look at.
For a country that had little fashion success abroad we've suddenly taken a huge leap forward. What happened?
Lebanon is divided into two eras, if you will. The couturier era was full of very good technicians with very good taste, selling perfectly executed couture dresses taken from French and English designers. Then a few people appeared on the creative side, who worked on something more creative, spectacular and unconventional. Shweiter, Katra, William Khoury and later on, the Elie Saab movement. They all deserve our thanks.
What was their difference?
Saab for instance, upgraded the business, settled himself as a designer and not a couturier. He presented his collections on the international runways and opened a great door and a road for all us designers who followed him. We came later on, the younger designers, and we wanted to tell a different story with a younger approach and another direction. I'm a part of that generation, with my own story.
When did your generation appear?
My generation came out in the last ten years and you know the country's been changing in the past decade. Architects, designers, filmmakers; we saw an entire generation that studied abroad and then came back to work here. We had determination and our own ideas.
What ideas exactly?
Well, my own work is another story. I'm not like Shweiter and Saab because I‘ve lived a different life. I never planned this you know. I was lucky to get to Beirut in '95 and the few years following that were something different as well, something special. There was a constructive energy in the country and that made me stay. Being part of this renewal I was myself renewed and I worked with a new style. I didn't invent dynamite here - I mean I just design clothes - but I think that my clothes are different because they're unique to me and my story.
Brushing aside
Tony el Mendelek is a hairdresser, one of the best hairdressers in the country. But ask him if his work can change society and he'll laugh in your face. Which is rather refreshing.
Translated from its original Arabic.Do you feel you make a change to the country?
A change? [Laughs] Hardly. I mean I work a lot, I try my best at what I do. I keep myself busy and trained, keep up with the latest fashion. I mean, I try. I try to help people feel better about themselves by helping them with their hair. If you're telling me I'm one of the best hairdressers, I'll have to take your word for it.
It can be argued that fashion and hairdressing is not really part of local culture but do you feel that your work contributes to people's lives?
Sure I do. When a lady gets a nice haircut her face just lights up. With the right cut and color I feel they become happier. If you wake up in the morning and everything's in the laundry, you put on a shirt you don't like and you just don't feel comfortable throughout the whole day. It might be trivial in nature but the effect that these little things have is far reaching. I try to figure out the woman's style and give it to her; I try to help her feel better in her own skin.
So do you think you're as much a therapist as you are a hairdresser?
I think women get depressed when their hair is messy. The working woman pulls her hair back in the morning and is fine. This is because pulling your hair back makes it neat, and that's great. They do this to feel better. But when you don't want to pull your hair back you get a haircut, and it feels good to get compliments throughout the day, and you will with a good haircut. If you've had a good night's sleep, have picked out the proper clothing and look your best, you'll have a good energy all day.
Behind the blush
Working all the pretty faces from your neighbor's wedding to Elie Saab's fashion shows, the beautiful Hala Ajam gives me a look behind the blush.
What's your favorite place in Beirut?
Starbucks.
Say what now?
[Laughs] It's the only place I can hang out and meet new people. There's no music there! I can talk. All of Beirut is Glamorous though. It's a pilgrimage for all the fun people.
Think fast, who's the most interesting person you've made up?
Queen Rania. The sweetest person on earth, it was shocking really, she was very humble. Unbelievable. Claudia Schaeffer was a shock as well, my first ever famous person. I was shaking on the inside but I didn't show her. She was very interesting and smart.
If only I could believe you...
She was! She asked about the country, religion, inter-cultural life. We had a beautiful conversation. Intelligence and the fashion industry aren't mutually exclusive you know.
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