Zuhair Murad launches collaboration with size-inclusive brand Marina Rinaldi

For its latest high-profile collaboration, Italian body-positive women’s label Marina Rinaldi has enlisted Lebanese couturier Zuhair Murad to create a capsule collection for autumn/winter 2024. Working with Rinaldi may seem like a departure from Murad’s signature haute couture, a favourite of celebrities on the red carpet, but a shared system of beliefs made it a no-brainer for the designer.

“It began with a mutual understanding of the importance of celebrating the beauty and diversity of women,” the couturier explains. “We collaborated to create a collection that is inclusive, empowering and luxurious. The vision was to blend Marina Rinaldi’s expertise in curvy fashion with our flair for exquisite evening wear, resulting in pieces that make every woman feel stunning and confident.”

With this collaboration, Murad follows in the footsteps of Mary Katrantzou, creative director of leather goods and accessories at Bvlgari; Marco de Vincenzo, creative director at Etro; designer Sara Battaglia; and model Ashley Graham, who have all lent their names to collections.

Since opening his first atelier in Beirut in 1997, Murad has built a devoted following for elegant and deeply feminine gowns, which have been worn by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Beyonce. Marina Rinaldi, which was founded in 1980, has decades of experience in the technical intricacies of dressing bodies of differing sizes and is known for meticulously cutting a new pattern for each size to ensure a perfect fit. Such attention to detail will chime with the couture mindset and the elevated experience it offers the wearer.

This new capsule features elements that will feel familiar, including floor-length gowns, floaty kaftan layers and expert tailoring. Divided into four sections by colour – black, tomato red, emerald green and royal blue – these are scattered with the embellishments and detailing one would expect from a couture house. It includes tulle dresses overlaid with starburst silver embroidery and a loose georgette dress with open sleeves, finished with a large fabric flower at the neck.

“I had a lot of creative freedom to infuse my personal style into the designs,” Murad explains. “We were able to blend Marina Rinaldi’s style with my own signature elements, integrating elegant silhouettes that highlight the beauty of the wearer, while incorporating unique details such as intricate embroidery and fabric.”

These include a wide-legged, crepe cady jumpsuit that is trimmed at the wrist with ostrich feathers and a straight-cut cady dress with slashed arms that has shoulders topped with tone-on-tone beading.

Murad was invited to join the prestigious Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion in 2012 – making him one of the coterie of designers legally able to use the term haute couture. In 2010, he built an 11-storey office, showroom and atelier in Beirut, which was destroyed in the Beirut Port explosion in 2020.

Unbowed, he returned to the international fashion schedule only a few months later even more determined than. This tie-up with Marina Rinaldi is the latest chapter in his journey.

In many ways, the pairing of the two houses feels natural, Murad explains, although he has been careful to ensure the collection is balanced. “The key is ensuring that the final pieces reflect both brands’ identities while creating a harmonious collection," he adds. "Working together reinforced the importance of a holistic approach to fashion that values both aesthetic appeal and inclusivity. This collaboration showcased how different design philosophies can come together to support and empower women.”

Murad is not the first Middle East designer to work with Marina Rinaldi – that distinction went to Dima Ayad last year – but he is the first couturier and as such is aware of the weight of the moment. “It is both exhilarating and humbling," he adds. "There’s a sense of responsibility to set a high standard and create something truly exceptional, and an opportunity to showcase a unique perspective and be part of a milestone that will be remembered.”

Marina Rinaldi by Zuhair Murad capsule collection is now available