Blueprint Beirut: IFS 2016

Blueprint Beirut

Lebanon at Fashion Utopias, International Fashion Showcase 2016

19 – 23 February 2016, Somerset House

The Arab British Centre in partnership with Starch Foundation proudly presented ‘Blueprint Beirut’ as part of Fashion Utopias, the British Council and British Fashion Council’s International Fashion Showcase 2016 in association with London Fashion Week.

‘Fashion Utopias’ was the fifth edition of the annual International Fashion Showcase (IFS) and formed a key part of London Fashion Week’s public-facing programme which celebrates the universal relevance of fashion in contemporary culture. This year marked Lebanon’s first participation with ‘Blueprint Beirut’, an exhibition of eight emerging designers from the Starch Foundation programme.

Curated by Tala Hajjar, Starch Co-Founder and Fashion Entrepreneur, and designed by Starch Architect Elie Metni, the exhibition unveiled new pieces by Margarita Abi-Hanna, Joe Arida, Mira Hayek, Timi Hayek, Rayya Morcos, Nour Najem, Sevag Dilsizian and Bashar Assaf. The fashion items were displayed inside Metni’s interpretation of a deconstructed architectural blueprint of a traditional Lebanese home. By re-imagining a familiar place where rituals of the past inspire present-day life, the exhibition reflected Lebanese fashion’s journey to a future still grounded in Mediterranean heritage.

Blueprint Beirut was supported by the British Council.