Nashmin 
Can you introduce your brand and yourself in a few sentences?
Céline Haddad is a high-end womenswear ready-to-wear label. I decided to offer urban women of any age daring, dynamic, and different garments and accessories that will make them feel edgy, confident and comfortable in their skin. They can wear them for various occasions rather than one special opportunity.
I am both French and Lebanese but I was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. Starting the age of 18, I spent my summers in London and Paris exploring the various fields of the fashion industry. After graduating in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut in 2017, I decided to move to New York in order to pursue my dream. There, I completed a degree in Fashion Design at Parsons.
What sparked your interest in fashion design?
I think that what interests me the most in fashion design, is how easy it looks on the outside but how challenging it actually is. Challenge is one of my biggest drives in life.
The industry is not all sparkles and champagne, it requires a lot of work and organization. I think Fashion is also one of today’s main communication and influential tools. By making use of it, designers can serve great causes and raise awareness on several topics. Finally, fashion design is the perfect mix of technical skills and creativity—I believe we are the architects of the human body.
Can you describe your creative process?
I don’t have one creative process per se—it varies every time and depends on several factors. As a designer, I often draw my primary inspiration from the exploration of societal, generational and personal controversies that arise in today’s civilization. I particularly enjoy revisiting wardrobe classics and creating experimental versions of them by playing around with the elements that initially make an item timeless. Travelling and art also play a big part in my creative process, but I always try to add a deeper meaning to my creations.
What is your favourite part of being a designer? What drives you to design?
The more I practice this profession, the more I fall in love with it. I enjoy every step of the way—some less than others—but I think what makes the beauty of this occupation is how diversified a designer’s job is, especially as entrepreneurs. My favorite part of being a designer is seeing an intangible idea concretize and come to life, and seeing how a collection can carry a deeper meaning to it.
I use design as a means of self-expression and change, and I strongly believe that there’s more to garments and accessories than pure aesthetics. The message it conveys is what interests me the most. Another aspect of this discipline I particularly enjoy, is networking a lot and constantly meeting new people to build relationships. Human contact has always been something I deeply care about. Finally, I must add that there is a lot potential to do good around us as fashion designers and this is very motivating.
How do you find working as a designer where your brand is based? Has the culture/surroundings affected your design aesthetic? Do you feel connected to your home?
I moved to New York at the age of 21, with a dream and ambition of becoming a fashion designer. It is the city where I am based at the moment. The American fashion capital is where I grew as a designer and I can’t compare being a designer here to exercising this profession elsewhere. However, I can comfortably state what’s already known by many which is that New York provides you with everything you need as a designer (a huge network, industry professionals, factories, schools, fabrics, boutiques, inspiration etc.)
What I like the most about being in New York is the city’s dynamics. Living here makes you want to work as hard as you can from the bottom of your heart—the vibes of the city really push you to excel. You simply don’t want to be a nobody in New York and building a name for yourself naturally becomes a part of your everyday life.
The US culture has affected my design aesthetic in a way that functionality, comfortability and polyvalent garments and accessories has become very important for me. Living in New York, I’ve grown to understand the life of urban women better and I’m more aware of their needs and wants. I certainly still feel a very strong bond with my homes, whether it’s Beirut or Paris. That will never change.
I am grateful for being exposed since my very young age to the beauty, femininity and distinction of Lebanese women and the simplicity and elegance of the French.
In anticipation of your runway show at Vancouver Fashion Week, what are you most looking forward to?
Vancouver Fashion Week is actually my first exposure as an independent designer since my graduation and I will be launching my debut collection there, so saying I am looking forward to it would actually be an understatement.
What is the inspiration behind your S/S20 collection to be showcased at Vancouver Fashion Week?
While my Spring/Summer 2020 collection may appear to be about femininity, it features twelve bold, daring, and controversial looks that aim to be provocative and go against expectations. “Rébellion” is an audacious, eclectic collection in which I will present spirited and elegant rebels asking for the liberation of women and garments from rules and norms.
What are you hoping are the reactions from audiences seeing your designs (perhaps for their first time)?
I hope to see a mix of curiosity, excitement, and surprise in the audience’s eyes when they will see my designs on the runway. My collection is meant to challenge traditions and norms and be experimental, controversial and provocative. I hope they will like it.
Thank you for speaking with us Céline, we look forward to seeing you on the VFW runway in October.
Photos contributed.
