Don’t be afraid to take chances by giving the best you can give.
Jean-Louis Sabaji
I.- Who is Jean-Louis Sabaji?
Lebanon has been described by Zeina Karam as Middle East’s Daring Fashion Capital; it has become an important tourist destination due to its European flavor based on French colonial influence and the sharp contrast between women with barely there clothes and others covered from head to toe. Jean-Louis Sabaji success story began here.
Jean-Louis was born in a design environment and raised in his father’s atelier. Following his graduation from the Lebanese American University in 2008, he headed to Milan’s Domus Academy. In 2011 Jean Louis’ allegiance to his father’s studio evolved to the responsibility of carving the new paths ahead.
Mostly inspired by the strength and beauty of mother nature, Jean-Louis likes to have a theme behind each collection. Assisted by a small creative team, a thorough work of research and conceptualization is done through mood boards on trends, textiles, colors and themes. In his own words, ‘when we design and deliver a style, we are neither fashion designers nor clothing manufacturers, but rather builders of character, concept, and movement. What is important isn’t what people wear, but why they wear it’.
II.- A micro-interview with Jean-Louis Sabaji
I had the priviledge to get in touch with Jean-Louis and he kindly answered the following micro-interview:
Q.- What message are you addressing with your clothes and where do you stand?
Jean-Louis Sabaji (JLS).- I love uniqueness and originality; I design statement pieces to make women stand out. My designs are very conceptual and daring, sometimes “too” daring, but this is the only way I see it, I love playing with material work and exaggerating… The message I’m trying to convey is to inspire people to think outside the box and that there are rules that are meant to be broken.
Don’t be afraid to take chances by giving the best you can give.
Q.- How would you describe your aesthetic? Has it evolved over time?
JLS.- I believe in seeing the beauty in everything. I always get inspired by unusual disturbing subjects and turn them into something beautiful. My Masters thesis was inspired by Necrophilia and it quite shocked everyone but they love the designs.
Of course it has evolved with time but I still look for very unfamiliar subjects and elements from Mother Nature like insects.
Q.- We know that you like to have a theme behind each collection. What unexpected things inspired the upcoming Summer 2014 collection?
JLS.- Flowers and insects mostly inspired the Summer 2014 collection. I built this loyal relationship with Mother Nature and I find myself drowning into it more and more with each collection and I love it.
Q.- There is no doubt that accessories play an important role in the fashion field. How does the symbiosis between attire and jewelry enhance your designs?
JLS.- My designs are already intense and I believe that they don’t need accessories unless it’s a part of the design. Sometimes you might need a piece of jewelry but it’s usually very simple.
Q.- What are some of your future plans down the road?
JLS.- I believe that I’ll be ready in a year or two to start my Ready-to-wear line, because it is where the fashion world is heading because of the consumer’s needs.
Every woman is a fashion icon when she wants to be.
Useful links: Official Website, Facebook and Twitter.
All photos courtesy of Jean-Louis Sabaji.
‘‘Singular Fashion Revelations by Decimononic’ is a series of blog posts that aims to uncover edgy avant-garde fashion designers we find challenging and inspirational: sophistication and elegance with a dark edge, for your pleasure. Rejoice in True Singularity!
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