‘DOES DESIGN, IN ITS VARIOUS FORMS, REALLY MATTER?’
Does design, in its many multifaceted forms, really matter? Whether it’s a couture dress or a pretty bag or a carefully cra ed table, does it have a purpose beyond the superficial? There are plenty of examples in this issue that prove, yes, it does.
It’s a point that Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Valentino, makes in our interview on page 18. “Fashion is not just clothes,” he says. “They are instruments through which you can say more.”
Piccioli is in the process of creating a new vision for the fashion brand, one that is more aligned with our altered world. For Valentino’s spring/summer 2022 presentation in Paris, the designer sent a series of archival pieces down the runway, painstakingly replicated down to the last button.
He selected items that reflected precise moments in Valentino’s history, where the brand “was witnessing a change in society”. It was a recognition that clothes can be a marker of their times and can provide unspoken commentary on the issues of the day. For
Piccioli, our current times call for greater inclusivity, individuality and equality, and this is the message he is trying to communicate through his creations and campaigns. “I feel that I have a responsibility to use my voice to say what I stand for, and not just offer a summer dress,” he says. “It’s watching the world, thinking what it is feeling.”
While design can provide commentary on the present, it also has a vital role to play in commemorating the past. This is artfully conveyed in many of the intriguing objects currently on show in the Beirut Concept Store at Dubai Design Week. From tables to tote bags, the pieces provide striking observations of the contradictory city they are born in, as seen on page 12.
Among them are The Grain Silos at Beirut Harbor by Karim Chaya, founder of Spockdesign. These architectural scale models pay homage to the now instantly recognisable structures flanking the Beirut port. Chaya credits them with protecting part of the city by withstanding last year’s blast. On the underside of each model is the date August 4, 2020, and the precise time the explosion occurred, 6.07pm. It’s a stark reminder to remember.
Design can also change lives, as Sarah Beydoun of Sarah’s Bag has been proving for the past 20 years. Her stylish accessories are cra ed by female prisoners in Lebanon, or by other underprivileged women in villages around the country. We speak to the entrepreneur on page 46, as she prepares to launch a new collection of bags commissioned by Mastercard, as part of the company’s commitment to support female-owned SMEs in the region.
Among the many women Beydoun has helped over the years is Randa, a female prisoner accused of murder who was able to hire a lawyer and overturn her judgment, thanks to the money she earned working with Sarah’s Bag. She is, perhaps, all the proof needed that sometimes a bag can be more than just a bag, and that, if done right, with proper intent and a sense of accountability, design really does matter.