(NEW YORK) Lebanon’s burgeoning fashion talents are getting some support from Elie Saab: The designer has joined forces with the London College of Fashion and the Lebanese American University to bring a new program to Beirut. The freshly-minted degree is called the ‘Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design in collaboration with Elie Saab”, and the first batch of students to enroll will begin the program in September 2014. Saab is upping the style-training ante in his native Lebanon via the degree, which strives to be “both relevant to Arab culture and international in scope,” according to a statement.
Logistically, London College of Fashion will oversee the program, deliver quality assurance services, as well as provide some curriculum consultation. The deal got inked earlier this month; the objective is to create opportunities for aspiring fashion talents in the region to be able to study the craft locally. Saab maintains workshops on his homeland turf, Paris, and Milan. His Beirut studio remains his main studio outpost. The designer kicked off his career 31 years ago at the precocious age of 18 (he began designing at just 9 years old!), launching in Beirut with over a dozen employees after a stint in Paris.
