The Lebanese American University (LAU) celebrated the work of its fashion design graduates in an award ceremony hosted on its Beirut campus by LAU President Michel E. Mawad, Honorary Chair of the program Elie Saab and Dean of the School of Architecture and Design Elie Haddad.
Since its launch eight years ago in collaboration with ELIE SAAB and London College of Fashion, the four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design has offered its students a world-class education and training – a standard that was upheld in spite of challenges posed this year by the pandemic, the shift to online learning, and the economic crisis in the country.
Special mentions went to Nour Takieddine who received the Prix du Jury – which comes with a six-month internship at ELIE SAAB studios – for her collection D2D; Mia Zakhem, who got the Craftsmanship Award for ???(Lana); and Safa Al Kobba, who got the Concept Development Award for Centicap.
Dr. Mawad congratulated the awardees who had earned the “right to be proud through hard work, relentless effort and discipline in cultivating your talent.” The fashion design program, he added, “is one of a kind in the country and the region linked to the name of an international fashion titan, Mr. Elie Saab, who is himself an international brand that has done Lebanon proud and helped make Beirut one of the world’s fashion capitals.”
Mr. Saab, in turn, expressed his delight “with the work of our students, despite the difficult circumstances that we are going through. I feel that with every cohort, the quality of creative output is tangibly richer.”
Applauding the graduating class, Dean Haddad emphasized that “in reality, the whole class of 2021 had distinguished itself by its perseverance and dedication in completing their work up to the highest standards.”
Due to COVID-19 safety measures, the School was compelled to replace the live fashion show during which the graduates presented their collections with a video documentary that is due to be aired on June 30, 2021.
Dean Haddad commended the program director, Silia Abou Arbid, for her dedication and for leading a team of passionate tutors, including two new members, Garen Demerdjian and Nemer Saade who supervised the graduating class.—LAU
Source: National News Agency