Fashion brands supporting Lebanon, including UAE designers donating to fundraiser

Beirut initiative also collates artisans and small labels from the country for people to support

Rizman Ruzaini is donating to the auction, which is expected to run next month. Photo Dubai Fashion Week

As the UAE Stands with Lebanon aid initiative was launched earlier this week, fashion brands also clubbed together to raise funds to support those affected by the ongoing crises in Lebanon and Gaza.

That Concept Store and the Arab Fashion Council are teaming up for an auction, with many UAE-based brands donating items, which will be available to see in-store from Monday. The auction date has not yet been confirmed but will be in mid-November.

Elsewhere, clothes store Emergency Room Beirut has curated a list of lifestyle brands to support people and small businesses operating in Lebanon directly.

Here are some of the labels coming together to show support in light of the ongoing crises.

Fashion brands donating to fundraising auction

Fourteen regional designers will be donating their work to the sale, including the likes of jewellery house Bil Arabi, women's fashion brand Dima Ayad couturier Michael Cinco and urban label BLSSD. Bouguessa, known for its womenswear tailoring, is also taking part as is Sandra Mansour who, in 2020, became the first Arab designer to create a collection with H&M.

Mira Mikati will be donating a piece from its upbeat, colourful collections, while Mrs Keepa will bring its directional womenswear to the event. The jewellery brand Nada Ghazal is also involved, as well as Rizman Ruzaini, the Malaysian brand that had Naomi Campbell walk its runway at Dubai Fashion Week last year.

Zaid Farouki will be offering a ready-to-wear piece for auction while the jewellery names of Rock by GS and Azza Fahmy will both be donating items from their studios.

Emergency Room Beirut highlights small businesses to support

Customers can also buy online directly from small Lebanese brands to support them, the workers and the artisan studios they employ.

In Lebanon, Emergency Room Beirut – a brand that repurposes old clothes and deadstock materials into new pieces – has collated a list of small, independent Lebanese brands. The campaign, Stand With Lebanon, Support Local Brands, aims to highlight that amid the chaos, there are various avenues to help those caught up in the conflict.

"Lebanon is going through an incredibly tough time," says Eric Ritter, the label founder. "Now more than ever, Lebanese brands, craftsmen, makers and artisans need your support."

Listing 25 brands, Ritter has purposefully chosen many brands that have a wider social impact, be it keeping regional artisan skills alive or giving free fashion education to disadvantaged youth.

Names include Sarah's Bag, which employs 250 women to handmake its products; Creative Space Beirut, which offers vulnerable youths free fashion design education and career support; and Dar Onbaz, which has created a retail platform, art space and garden for art, music and performances.

L'Artisan du Liban is Lebanon’s first social enterprise safeguarding artisanal handicrafts and culture, while Salim Azzam creates clothing infused with the traditional craftsmanship of Mount Lebanon.

Another name, Orient 499, which supports small-scale makers and artisans across Lebanon, explained on social media that its website remains fully functional as "continuing to operate allows us to support the craftsman, artisans and workers who are at the heart of everything we do".