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Gemmayzeh, Beirut district

Lara Khoury is a multi-disciplinary experimental designer whose work spans and unites the realms of fashion, interiors and film. Lara Khoury’s journey starts when she moves to Paris at the age of eighteen to embark on an enlightening creative journey at the prestigious Ecole Supérieure de la Mode (ESMOD). Immersed in an alternate hyper-fashion reality, Lara harnesses her passion for the arts and carefully hones her craft. After graduating in 2006, Lara returns to Beirut and works for Elie Saab, where she develops a solid knowledge in both haute couture and prêt-à-porter. Before long, and with the lure of creative independence beckoning, Lara sets up her own label. 

A budding designer, Lara is taken under the wing of Lebanese designer Rabih Kayrouz. Under his tutelage, she is one of the first designers featured in fashion incubator Starch, Rabih’s brainchild. Designers exhibiting collections in Starch stores get direct exposure to retail and crucially, the opportunity to experiment freely with their styles. After two successful seasons, Lara decides to launch her LK ready-to-wear brand in 2010, but  and sets up her creative studio in central Beirut. A year later, Lara is selected to represent Lebanon at the Maison Méditerranéenne des Métiers de la Mode (MMMM) in Marseille, France. The program provides a valuable platform that allows its participants to tap into an extensive network of established designers who generously impart and share their wisdom. This is exactly what Lara needs to strengthen her brand. 

In subsequent years, receiving regular acclaim for her work, Lara is recognised by institutions such as Woolmark and global fashion platform Not Just A Label, where Lara is selected in 2014 as one of the 100 most pioneering young fashion designers. Since establishing LK, Lara presents her collections in Paris, Dubai, Ecuador and Beirut, garnering recognition locally and globally. Every collection encapsulates a message, something the designer cares about deeply. A recurring theme is her complex relationship with her country, Lebanon, which veers from love to hate and everything in between. In 2015, Lara debuts her bridal line, where the designer crafts sumptuous sculptural gowns with exquisite detail. Lara also launches a menswear line where the suit takes center stage, adding yet another dimension to her work. The LK Man launch features prominent members of the Lebanese society: architects, musicians, surgeons model her unconventional suits, and add their own flair by styling the finished look. The result is a success. Lebanon and Beirut have and will always be Lara’s biggest source of inspiration. Today, Lara’s priorities have shifted as Beirut reels from the aftermath of the explosion, and as the country braces for more unrest.

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