“It was impossible not to be impacted by the Beirut explosion,” says Sarah Hermez, co-founder of Creative Space Beirut (CSB). The free fashion school was founded in 2011 to offer high-quality design education to underprivileged Lebanese youth.
By the time the Beirut Port blast hit in 2020, CSB had already weathered the 2019 financial collapse, the protests that followed, and the challenges of a pandemic-stricken world.
With classes paused due to Covid-19, CSB had pivoted to producing isolation gowns for hospitals. On August 4, 10 people were working at the space located in Beirut Souks, directly across the harbour from the port. The building was decimated. Miraculously, no one was harmed.
“We were so lucky,” says Hermez. “We were covered in dust, but none of us had a scratch. It was surreal.”
Fashion designer Georges Chakra, whose studio is 10km from the port in Jal El Dib, wasn’t as lucky. “The atelier was damaged, several team members were injured and a very loved colleague passed away,” he says. “It was also heartbreaking how many had their homes destroyed.”
After the initial shock, his focus shifted to his staff. “We checked in with everyone living nearby, made sure they had medical care, shelter, whatever they needed. Some couldn’t return right away. The hardest part was helping the team feel safe again.”
In the aftermath, Hermez recalls “the sound of glass”, as survivors crunched over the debris of their former lives. “It felt like our lives exploded. Our homes, our safe spaces, everything we knew was destroyed.”
The psychological toll of the aftermath was immense. “Looking at destruction for that long does something to your brain,” Hermez says. “At the time, it felt like this was going to be life forever.”
Staying put no longer felt viable. “We didn’t know if there would be another explosion – we just knew we had to get out,” she says. Though they initially looked to relocate to the safety of Lebanon’s mountains, they eventually found a new place in the city – staying true to the Beirut in their name.
Roni Helou, one of Lebanon’s most promising young designers – and a CSB alumnus – was also among those caught in the blast’s ripple effect. A winner of Fashion Trust Arabia’s 2019 prize, Helou was preparing to rapidly expand his brand when the explosion hit. With his prize money frozen due to the banking crisis, he had sunk what little remained into the business.
“Then the blast happened and we went back to zero,” he says.
A supporter of the 2019 revolution, Helou had believed in a better Lebanon. “I thought we could change things. But the explosion felt like a slap. I realised we never would. For the first time, I considered leaving.”
He turned to Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, chair of Qatar Museums and a key figure behind Doha’s M7 creative hub, along with Fashion Trust Arabia’s co-chair Tania Fares. Together, they helped Helou relocate his family to Doha, and brought him on as a strategist at M7, supporting local designers.
“Honestly, it took two or three years to make peace with Lebanon,” Helou admits. “I was holding a grudge. I didn’t think I’d ever come back.”
For Hermez, leaving was never an option. “This is where I’m from. I don’t know where I’d go. Creative Space came from a desire to merge creativity with social justice, and that’s still what keeps me going.”
She watched many of her community leave in the blast’s wake. “In the span of a week, I think 80 per cent of our friends picked up and left the country. Any sense of community – culture, art, fashion, creativity, music – that defined Lebanon all of a sudden diminished.”
Still, Hermez held on. “Working every day towards something you believe in gives you the strength to keep going.”
That perseverance paid off. In 2025, CSB staged its first graduation show since 2018 – interrupted by five years of cascading crises. More than 100 volunteers helped bring the show to life. “The students have been through so much,” Hermez says. “It was a beautiful moment.”
With 500 guests in attendance, the night reflected her enduring optimism. “In Lebanon, you take a few steps forward, then get pulled ten back. What keeps me personally going is that there's so much creativity and talent in Lebanon that goes untapped.”
Meanwhile, now settled in Qatar and with his brand on hiatus, Helou is focusing his energy on the business side of the industry. “I think I'm more of an entrepreneur, as I have these ideas that I want to bring to life. I'm working on a project that is not related to fashion, it's more about gaming and marketing. I'm rediscovering myself. It’s funny because I had to leave Lebanon to do that.”
Helou is also helping to build a vocational school in Doha that will teach design, architecture, graphic design and film, developed in collaboration with Hermez and CSB.
“I’ve had a moment to reflect on Roni the person, not just the brand, and I feel like I would have never have got that in Lebanon. I also don't think I would have got the opportunities I have in Doha if I had stayed in Lebanon. It's sad to say, but I needed the explosion to break the bond, to push me out of my comfort zone.”
Chakra, who has returned to showing in Paris, agrees the scars remain. “No one lives through something that insane without being affected. Beirut has always had to rebuild – I doubt this will be the last time. Resilience is part of daily life.
“Beirut never stops,” he adds. “No matter what it endures, the city always finds a way to keep going.”
For Hermez, the mission remains clear: nurturing the next generation of Lebanese creatives. “For us, it's about why creative and cultural institutions should continue to exist during times of hardship. These spaces allow people to continue to have a voice and to dream. If these institutions shut down and people no longer have an outlet to create, then what do you have left in the country?”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Roma 4
Milner (15' OG), Dzeko (52'), Nainggolan (86', 90 4')
Liverpool 2
Mane (9'), Wijnaldum (25')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SHAITTAN
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The five pillars of Islam
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
Pieces of Her
Stars: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, David Wenham, Omari Hardwick
Director: Minkie Spiro
Rating:2/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
