At Paris Fashion Week, Elie Saab's collection was dark hued and a bit more subdued than usual, but still phenomenal. The Lebanese designer, famous for his sexy silhouettes and lighter palettes, went in a darker direction, this past Saturday. Eyelets, Grecian gold hems, feathers and lots of floaty black gowns could be seen making their way down the runway at the Palais de Tokyo.
In Italy, Zineb Hazim and Lara Chamandi were the names to know this Milan Fashion Week.
Hazim, who is Moroccan, has showcased her designs in Milan before in her digital debut last season with We Are Made in Italy. Hazim started her label more than a year ago after graduating from Italy’s Burgo Fashion Institute, and uses her native country of Morocco as a constant source of inspiration. She combines traditional Islamic fashions with modern, ready to wear sensibilities.
Chamandi is Lebanese and based in Milan, and her line is Made in Italy. She defines her brand as "Womenswear Luxury made consciously, for the Divine Feminine, inspired by the energies of the moon."
Part Palestinian, on her father's side, model Gigi Hadid instead pledged to donate all earnings from her month-long runway outings to the relief efforts in Ukraine and Palestine. She wrote on Instagram, to her 72+ million followers: “Having a set fashion month schedule has meant that my colleagues and I often present new fashion collections during heartbreaking and traumatic times in history."
French Moroccan designer Charaf Tajer continues to make waves on the international fashion scene. The mastermind behind Paris-based label Casablanca has partnered with Italian luxury brand Bulgari on a new collection of must-have bags. The inspiration came from the tennis courts.
And of course, French-born with a Moroccan mom Hedi Slimane couldn't be missed, with his new gender-bending collection for Celine and the haunting, irreverent BOY DOLL video that goes with it.
That's it for now, but more to come as Fashion Week events continue around the world.
