Noted fashion designer Rabih Kayrouz was born in 1973 in Lebanon. Rabih returned to his home country after studying fashion in Paris, France for several years. In Lebanon he established his fashion house Maison Rabih Kayrouz in 1998. After ten years working in Lebanon as a designer, designing gowns for private clients, Rabih returned to Paris to open his design studio where he works on his collections with the best artisans in town. Rabih Kayrouz was invited to join the official calendar of couture fashion shows in 2009 by the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. In 2012 he stepped out of his comfort zone and debuted his ready-to-wear line in Paris. Today, Rabih is a regular at major fashion shows, launching four collections a year and showcasing amongst the greatest designers of the world during Paris Fashion Week. The international press praises Rabih for his exceptional craftsmanship and his ready-to-wear lines are a great success. This success lead to him being nominated as Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2013, a great honor for the designer.
Kayrouz is also one of the founders of the STARCH foundation which is a non-profit organization that helps launch Lebanese emerging designers. Designers launched by STARCH include showstopper Rami Kadi, Hussein Bazaza and Bashar Assaf.
Rabih’s ready-to-wear collections are inspired by emotion. He designs garments that embody comfort, confidence and joy.
SS14: Ray
His spring-summer 2014 collection ‘Ray’ was shown last september during Paris Fashion Week. The phrase used to describe this collection ‘let there be light’ says it all. Ray is a collection featuring light colors like soft pink, white combined with aluminum and black. The fabrics are also light, with sharp cuts and loose fit. The overall look is simple, yet very creative. The aluminum style fabric creates a mirror-effect and reflects the light that hits the fabric’s surface. White also attracts light and brightens the ensembles where black and white are combined. This is a very feminine and sophisticated collection. I love the way the fabrics are draped and layered. It is very dynamic and creates motion. This collection includes, pants, skirts and dresses, but also jumpsuit styles that look like a fitted and fashionable version of a Japanese ninja outfit.
Collection favorite
My favorite from this collection is a black skirt with ruffles at the side, combined with a white, sleeveless top, decorated with cuts to create texture. A second favorite is a soft, pink ensemble. Shiny pants combined with a silky, soft top. The contrast of sharp, tailored pants combined with a loose-fitting top, makes it look casual and sophisticated at the same time. Rabih plays with feminine and masculine silhouettes. Which is a great way to portray an independent, modern woman who can be strong, masculine and in control, but also delicate, soft and feminine. I feel a lot of designers play with different shapes, fits and cuts, but do not succeed. Their designs are often loose, baggy and shapeless, while the cuts are made in unflattering places. Rabih knows how to create a balance between artistic creativity and simplicity. Style wise, style icons like Victoria Beckham and Olivia Palermo would look amazing wearing this collection. It is very chic.
To see the entire collection visit: maisonrabihkayrouz.com
