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Why Elie Saab Will Never Leave Lebanon, Despite the War

The designer and his son discuss making couture during a bombing and the reason it matters.... continued it through the 2019 financial crisis that devastated the country’s economy, the 2021...

NYTIMES 입력 2026.04.26 18:02 0

Why Elie Saab Will Never Leave Lebanon, Despite the War

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styles Q&A

Why Elie Saab Will Never Leave Lebanon, Despite the War

The designer and his son discuss making couture during a bombing and the reason it matters.

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Elie Saab and Elie Saab Jr. are united in their commitment to work through war.

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Swan Gallet/Getty Images

Vanessa Friedman

April 26, 2026,

5:01 a.m. ET

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Fairy-tale couture gowns are not normally associated with wartime, but ever since Elie Saab founded his namesake label in Beirut in 1982, he has been making his signature frocks under often extraordinary circumstances. He started his fashion house during the Lebanese civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 1990, and continued it through the 2019 financial crisis that devastated the country’s economy, the 2021 port explosion and the war between Israel and Hezbollah. It currently employs 700 people in Beirut, who are working on the next resort, bridal and couture collections.

Last week, he and his son, Elie Saab Jr., the company’s chief executive, were in Milan for the Salone di Mobile furniture fair, and they spoke to The New York Times about the situation in Beirut and the role of fashion in even the darkest times. The company also has headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland, but the pair said they had never considered leaving Lebanon, despite the current conflict in the Middle East. They were about to get on a plane to return home, and the elder Mr. Saab said he could not wait.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Was getting in and out of Lebanon difficult?

Elie Saab Jr.:

Travel has been OK. Middle East Airlines, which is the national airline, did not cancel one flight since the beginning of the war, even as all the international airlines canceled. Even during the toughest time, you would see a plane landing while a rocket was hitting Beirut. This is a reflection of how the Lebanese operate.

We’ve been through this a few times now. We are in Lebanon by choice. We understand and acknowledge the risk of being in Lebanon, but we have also taken all the necessary precautions to make sure that the business is never interrupted.

What is the mood like?

ES Jr.:

It has been very challenging. You can see bombs, especially around Beirut. You can definitely hear bombs. You are sitting in the office, and suddenly you hear that there are attacks around the city. Everyone has to stop their day and go and check on their loved ones. This can happen three to four times a week.

We’ve seen a situation where some of our people’s homes were hit directly by a bomb. They lost their home, and they still showed up the next day at 8 a.m. They say, “We want to focus on something else and focus on the future together.” But people are suffering.

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