We live in an age where highly manipulated images on social media platforms affect what we perceive as beauty. But there is a local contemporary fashion label, specialising in handmade leather handbags, that aims to show how beauty goes deeper than the surface.
"Fashion is about the outside and spirituality is about the inside, so it's very challenging to merge the two, but that is what LaLaQueen is about," explains the brand's designer and founder, Sally Sarieddine. It is perhaps most evident in her latest collection, Geometric, which is inspired by crystals and their healing powers, but it is actually something intrinsic to the brand she launched in 2009.
Her most famous bag, the vintage-inspired Doctor, became a global sensation when Amal Clooney was spotted carrying one in 2015, and it takes her philosophy to its most literal sense. "The link between fashion and healing is paralleled not only through the inspiration of the shape in a literal context but also my promise of a conscious fashion label," says Sarieddine.
"I commit to being ethical, sustainable, and I want to allow conscious customers to shop with peace of mind. I use locally sourced materials, fewer chemicals, no waste, as well as reused and recycled materials where I can."
Such thoughtful products deserve an equally inspired space in which to showcase them, and that is exactly what you will find at LaLaQueen's new flagship boutique in downtown Beirut. Designed by architect Fadi Naccour, it is a space intended to inspire wonder, and we found it perfect for pondering which of the cool, buttery-soft, oversized leather Moon clutches we wanted to take home. It was the olive green one, in case you wondered.
