Elie Saab targets Italy

«Maison Saab is in a ferment. We have a lot of projects underway, and we foresee a concrete development of all our activities by 2025», Elie Saab explained to MFF from his Paris showroom, a few days away from the Haute couture show. «Italy will play an important role in this development, both in terms of customers and production partnerships», he added with determination. No doubt that the opening of a 150-square-meter boutique just a few months ago in Milan’s Via Gesù, which is entirely furnished with pieces from Elie Saab Maison collection, along with the intention to open two more by 2025, confirms that the country is in the crosshairs of the lebanese couturier, who now has a total of eleven stores located in Paris, London, Milan, New York, Beirut, Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Saint Tropez, and Saint Barth.

What are your new plans in Italy?

Italy is a priority for us, as Milan is one of the fashion capitals. So, opening a store here, as well as a showroom dedicated to our home sector, strengthens our international influence and expansion strategy. I have a very strong bond with this country. First of all, because the international journey of my maison began right here, as it was first presented in Rome with Alta Moda. Secondarily, because Italian women really love what we do. They made elegant dresses part of their culture, as they wear couture for ceremonies or key moments in their lives. Our prêt-à-porter has found in the Italian Peninsula a refined clientele that lives up to our expectations. Italy (with Germany, ed.) is also the best market for our fragrances, which are Le Parfum, Girl of Now, In White, Lumière, Royal, Essentiel and an Exclusive line composed of ten fragrances. And again, we produce the prêt-à-porter, the children’s line with the Apulian company Fase Uno, and eyewear under license until 2025 with the Safilo group, in Italy. This country is therefore an indispensable industrial partner.

What are your next steps?

Next year I would like to open a store in Rome, we are close to the choice of location. Once signed, it will take less than a year for the opening. I would like to be present in Capri too.

The network of stores is expanding rapidly. In which countries are you present besides Italy?

We recently opened a boutique in Riyad. The next destinations are mainly geared toward the US market, which we are boosting with Houston, Los Angeles and Miami. Then we are present in Brazil, in São Paulo. We would like to increase our fleet to about twenty stores by 2025.

Based on the business, are you thinking about opening stores dedicated exclusively to bridal?

Bridal is indeed one of our strong points. It is growing a lot and is taking more and more space in our offerings. We are currently thinking about whether or not to open dedicated stores, because we certainly want to further increase its visibility in the next couple of years.

You also consolidated your presence in the Made-in-Italy furniture market, in which you collaborate with the Swiss Corporate Brand Maison. Is this an area that is close to your heart and that you want to focus on?

It is a project that I personally care a lot about. We launched it in the middle of the pandemic, it was a challenge, but it was an immediate success. Today, the public is showing a lot of interest in anything related to the house. I am passionate about architecture and appreciate interiors that express an elegant lifestyle. I have always been interested in the environments in which we live, they must communicate well-being and beauty to us. If I had not gone into couture, I would probably have become an architect. We have formed partnerships with real estate companies and we will soon enter the tableware market with a plate collection.

Where are your new real estate-related furniture projects focused?

All over the world. We are preparing the ones in Dubai, São Paulo, London, Vietnam, Bucharest, Miami, and Egypt. The demand is huge.

How would you define the Elie Saab furniture style?

Modern baroque with a positive connotation of the first word. It means offering a rich, contemporary, timeless style that blend harmoniously with paintings and beautiful objects. We have a unique positioning, which explains why we had success with a very broad customer base, not necessarily related to our couture. They are two different things.

Is it important to broaden horizons to become a global lifestyle brand?

I am deeply sure of that, and that is what I have been aiming for since the beginning. The goal is precisely to offer a unique, enveloping experience to accompany my customers’ daily lives from morning to night.

What new areas are you planning to explore for the near future?

Menswear. It is already present in my couture collections with a good outcome. We want to propose ready-to-wear now. I do not have a date yet, but it will be soon, and with a good partner, because in the end that is what determines a good result. And Italy, once again, will not be far away.

Considering your plans, will you also be tempted to enter the food industry?

I received a lot of offers to enter the restaurant business, but I am thinking more about our own hotel chain. If we decide to open restaurants or do entertainment, it will be under the umbrella of hospitality in its broadest sense. (All rights reserved)