Elie Saab

Elie Saab (born 4 July 1964) is a fashion designer based in Lebanon. He started his business in the early 1980s, and specialized in bridal couture. His work includes the use of materials such as lace, gemstones, crystals, pearls, and embroidery. In 2016, he served as a judge on Project Runway: Middle East. His father was a wood merchant in Damour, a coastal suburb south of Beirut.

Saab developed an interest in sewing at a young age and began experimenting with fashion around the age of eight, using materials found at home and involving his sisters as models.

Career

Early years In 1981, Saab moved to Paris to study fashion, but later returned to Beirut. In 1982, at age 18, he started working with a team of 15 employees, initially specializing in bridal couture. His work featured detailed embroidery, pearls, crystals, and silk fabrics. His reputation grew locally and gradually attracted a wider clientele, including high society figures.

In 1997, Saab was the first non-Italian designer to become a member of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, and in 1997 he showed his first collection outside Lebanon in Rome.

In 1998, he started his ready-to-wear line in Milan, as well as an accessories line. During the same year, Saab held a fashion show in Monaco, with Princess Stéphanie of Monaco in attendance.

In 1999, one of his dresses thickly embroidered with emeralds and diamonds was reportedly sold for $2.4 million.

International recognition

Saab became more well known in the United States after he became the first Lebanese designer to dress an Oscar winner, Halle Berry, in 2002. In May 2003, the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture invited him to become a member,

The Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture inducted him as a membre correspondant in 2006. His first ready-to-wear collection in Paris was the Spring-Summer 2006 collection.

Saab, Tina Knowles, House of Deréon, Giorgio Armani, Versace, and Herve Leger served as the designers for the outfits of the 2007 The Beyoncé Experience tour. In 2010, Saab dressed 102 celebrities for events overall, up from 40 in 2009. That year, he signed a 10-year licensing agreement with Beauté Prestige International for fragrance and cosmetics. The figure for 2011, up until March, was 88. In 2011, Madame Tussauds unveiled a wax statue of Kate Winslet draped in the Elie Saab dress she wore at 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2011, Elie Saab launched his first fragrance Le Parfum , created by Francis Kurkdjian.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore an Elie Saab gown while attending Royal Ascot in 2019. This was the first time one of Saab's gowns was worn by a British royal.

Recent projects and collaborations In 2012, he worked with the Lebanese American University and London College of Fashion to launch a bachelor's degree in fashion design. As of March 2017, his couture collections are available in Paris, London, and Beirut, while his ready-to-wear clothes were in 160 retailers and his own boutiques.

He has designed interiors for luxury residential projects including beachfront property in Dubai, , as well as projects in the Maldives and the Caucasus region.

Beirut explosion, 4 August 2020 Saab's main office and headquarters were left badly damaged by the 2020 Beirut explosion, and his home nearby was completely destroyed. Despite this, the designer and his team planned to get back to work in order to finish the collection for the September show.

The 1001 Seasons of Elie Saab, November 2024 In November 2024, Elie Saab celebrated the 45th anniversary of his fashion house with an event titled "The 1001 Seasons of Elie Saab " in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Notable clients and projects Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, wearing an Elie Saab bridal gown in 2012. He has been worn by Queen Rania of Jordan, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. Princess Claire of Luxembourg also wore a Saab-designed dress on her wedding. First Lady of France Brigitte Macron wore an Elie Saab outfit of military coat and skinny trousers during a state visit to China.

Many attendees at the 64th Golden Globe Awards in 2007 chose beaded or metallic dresses, such as Beyoncé's sequinned gold Elie Saab gown. Halle Berry wore a burgundy gown by Saab to the 2002 Academy Awards when she won for Best Actress. In a poll by Debenhams published in The Daily Telegraph the dress was voted the 8th greatest red carpet gown of all time. Cosmopolitan magazine cited the dress as "one of the Best Oscar dresses of all time". Berry later wore another dress by Saab to the 2003 Oscars.

Sandra Bullock wore Elie Saab at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013 and at the world premiere of the movie Ocean's 8 in New York.

In 2018, Rose Leslie wore a floral embroidered Elie Saab wedding dress when she wed her Game of Thrones co-star Kit Harington. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, wore a gown designed by him to the Royal Ascot in 2019, marking the first occasion where Saab has dressed a member of the British royal family.

Jennifer Lopez has worn Elie Saab on many occasions, including the 87th Academy Awards, 45th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, Global Citizen's Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World, and Elie Saab's Paris Haute Couture Show.

Other notable clients of Saab's work have included Nicole Kidman, Eva Green, Beyoncé, Anna Kendrick, Melania Trump, Christina Aguilera, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angelina Jolie, Celine Dion, Elena Anaya, Karlie Kloss, Dame Helen Mirren, Emilia Clarke, Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Kendall Jenner, Taylor Swift, Tiffany Trump and Ons Jabeur.

Personal life Saab lives in Lebanon with his wife Claudine and their three sons.

Filmography 2016: Project Runway: Middle East - judge