As the lights dimmed over a striking purple runway at the LAU Byblos campus, months of uncertainty gave way to a celebration of imagination. One after another, models emerged in garments that had been sketched, draped, stitched, and refined through one of the most challenging periods the Fashion Design Class of 2026 has experienced.
Held on July 2, this year’s edition of the LAU Fashion Show was titled TEN,marking the 10th graduating cohort of the School of Architecture and Design’s Fashion Design Program and the remarkable evolution that has made it a leading destination for fashion education in Lebanon and the region.
The evening featured 17 original collections that transformed the runway into a sequence of compelling visual narratives. Together, they explored identity, memory, mythology, digital culture, and the evolving relationship between the body and society. Although each collection spoke in its own language, all reflected the graduates’ ability to merge conceptual thinking with technical precision.
The anniversary celebration welcomed First Lady Mrs. Nehmat Aoun; world-renowned designer and Honorary Chair of the Fashion Design Program Elie Saab; Elie Saab Jr., CEO of the Saab Enterprise; LAU President Chaouki T. Abdallah, LAU Provost George E. Nasr; Dean of the School of Architecture and Design Elie Haddad; vice presidents, deans, faculty members, students, parents, alumni, and fashion enthusiasts.
Opening the show, President Abdallah reflected on how a bold vision conceived a decade ago had grown into one of the university’s signature academic programs.
“Tonight is a celebration of talent, creativity, perseverance, and possibility,” he said. “It is a graduation, an anniversary, and a reflection on a remarkable journey.”
President Abdallah praised the Class of 2026 for transforming years of hardship into artistic expression, reminding graduates that their work extends far beyond the garments on the runway. “They are stories,” he said, “stories of resilience, of identity, of hope.”
Dean Haddad echoed that sentiment, recognizing the extraordinary perseverance of both students and faculty in bringing this year’s production to life.
“Despite all the difficulties that we continue to face in Lebanon, and following the devastating war that affected us over the past two years, this group of students has struggled against all odds to materialize their ideas and fulfill their aspirations,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Elie Saab Group, CEO Elie Saab Jr. encouraged the graduates to embrace resilience as the defining quality of their careers, recalling how Elie Saab built a global fashion house from Lebanon through decades of adversity.
“Fashion demands more than creativity. It demands determination. So, as you begin this next chapter, dream bold, work hard, and never give up on your vision, no matter how difficult the road becomes. And always remember, from Lebanon, you can reach the world,” he said.
The evening concluded with the presentation of awards for outstanding achievement across multiple categories.
The Prix du Jury went to Malak Al Ayyash for Rogue, a collection that explored the tension between the human body and constructed ideals through distorted silhouettes inspired by dolls, infancy, and the grotesque.
Al Ayyash described her collection as a personal reckoning as much as a creative one. “During my time in the program, I went through a process of discovering myself and pushing beyond what I thought I could do,” she said. “I began with infantile references, then moved into horror, fabric manipulation, and molding, until I found a language where dolls became central, because they sit between the idealized body and something eerie, even uncanny.”
Elias Makhoul took home the Coup de Coeur Elie Saab for Brushing Shoulders, a collection inspired by everyday human interaction and the exchange of identity in shared spaces, and shaped by artist John Chamberlain’s transformation of discarded materials into valued sculptural works.
Three more collections rounded out the night’s honors, each taking a different route into fashion as narrative and critique. The Concept & Development Award went to Myriam Atallah for Hūlm, staged as a solitary performance in an imagined future; the Craftsmanship Award to Reem Daher for The Fall, a myth-driven exploration of identity and emotion; and the Construction & Technique Award to Lea Fares for Fake Replica, a visual study of digital self-representation and duality.