We sat down with designer Alexandra Rafie who told us about her brand journey; from the press offices of prestigious Parisian maisons to crafting her own line in the suburbs of Beirut.
Alexandra started her fashion career working in the press office at Giambattista Valli, Sonia Rykiel and other maisons. She realized that what she loved most was being in contact with the product, touching fabrics, seeing how a cut could fit celebrities with different body shapes. She grew up in a fashion-oriented family; her grandfather was big in the cotton industry in Aleppo, her mother and great-uncle had boutiques for women and children clothes. She always had a thing for fashion; even as a teen she used to customize her pieces, wear them upside down and look for ways to refresh her closet. The designer created her brand in 2019, between Paris where she grew up, and Beirut where both her parents are from. From salons to exhibits she selected her fabric suppliers in Italy, France and Portugal. The styles she conceives are crafted in Beirut; ‘we have the savoir faire, taste, perfect finishing’. She was looking for an atelier, and started working with artisans in the suburbs of Beirut whom she now calls family. We catch her with them over the phone wondering whether to add sleeves to a gilet made of a colorful tweed in shades of purple and turquoise. Alexandra is inspired by her two cities. In Paris she finds beauty and elegance, ‘people like to dress casually, privileging functionality from office to evening, also they shop more online’. In Beirut, Alexandra organizes open houses to display her collection and meet her clients. She talks about the warmth of people, ‘we love to dress up, get our hair done, our manicure…this is why we are always late!’ she laughs. She is inspired by old houses hiding among buildings on top of each other, ‘works of art’ she says.
The designer has a thing for tweed, and uses it in all her collections, summer & winter. She prefers fabrics that are light to the touch, soft to wear such as muslin, linen, or denim flannels, and colors. ‘We see too much black around, I wanted to add notes of color’. The new Fall Winter 22 collection is ‘sunny, for a mood lift!’ The third culture designer also finds ideas when she travels. Her latest trip to Mexico inspired her to choose a new fabric for Winter 22, that reminded her of ethnic motifs spotted in the streets of Tulum, for a new jacket. ‘The cut will be oversized’ she tells us, and in a unique size that fits all. In fact, Alexandra makes it a point to create clothes that adapt to various body shapes. She created a ‘balloon’ dress for her sister when she was pregnant, and now revisits it in her collections, suggesting different ways to wear it, even as a skirt. Her key styles feature oversized tweed jackets, a blazer with original details on the arms, and a body flattering jumpsuit; ‘it quickly became a hit, the first clients who bought it were my grandmother’s friends! It was amazing to see how much these women in their seventies love to dress up. Then other ladies followed suit and I am thrilled to see that I dress women my age all the way to women in their eighties and even above.’ She hints that the jumpsuit will be revisited in linen for next summer. ‘I want women to be comfortable in my clothes, and re-wear them multiple times.’ She tells us she is now launching a line of tweed bracelets embroidered with Swarovski crystals, just in time for the holidays, crafted in Beirut by her mother. ‘The idea is to use scrap of fabrics, to become zero waste’. A new step in her passionate journey.
