Famous fashion historian and icon Joe Shallita headed an intimate yet electric discussion about the history of Lebanese fashion with our Majal community this July.
Shallita shared pictures and documents dating from Phoenician times and extending all the way until the 1970s, displaying his archives to a live audience for the first time.
Shallita, whose portfolio in fashion dates back to 2007, worked as a fashion designer with Elie Saab and then on his own, dressing red carpet stars from Australia to the UK. An academic as well as an artist, Shallita launched Lebanese Fashion History, a personal archive documenting our country’s rich fashion, textile, and craft traditions. His initiative came after the Beirut Explosion, during this moment of truth when the importance of documentation and historical recording became evident.
During his personal meeting with Majal students, Shallita spoke about various key findings and shared intimate stories of how he gathered and consolidated historical evidence against all odds.
The meeting came as part of Beirut Art Days, a series of creative activations organized by Agenda Culturel. Majal Design School took part in this monumental event through two workshops and Shallita’s lecture.
By Majal Design School