Lebanese design duo Azzi & Osta have launched their first e-commerce site, azziandosta.com, in an attempt to promote slow fashion and better connect with their global customer base.
The designers are also keen to show that, despite the setbacks wrought by the Beirut Port explosion in August, which laid waste to their new atelier, they are looking to the future.
“With all the uncertainty that 2020 brought along, we wanted to create an online space for the brand to be accessible globally, especially having witnessed the remarkable growth of our ready-to-wear collections.
"The website aesthetic is a reflection of the brand’s codes, a digital space to navigate and escape,” say the brand’s founders, George Azzi and Assaad Osta, whose designs have been worn by the likes of Beyonce, Queen Rania of Jordan and, most recently Megan Fox.
Lebanon is everything for us. It's always a source of our inspiration and we know that whatever we do going forward will be more and more an ode to Lebanon
Speaking to The National in the aftermath of the explosion in Beirut, the duo reaffirmed their commitment to their homeland, in spite of the challenges they face.
“Lebanon is everything for us. It’s always a source of our inspiration and we know that whatever we do going forward will be more and more an ode to Lebanon. We like to think that we create dreams and those dreams are made in Lebanon,” they said.
Notably, the brand has decided to launch its new e-commerce site with a pre-order model, which they say will help minimise waste and “create much-needed equilibrium between supply and demand”.
The aim of the new site is to create a welcoming space that replicates the experience offered in the brand’s bricks and mortar atelier. Azzi & Osta's spring/summer 2020 and autumn/winter 2021 collections, which both feature a selection of gowns, slim-line cocktail dresses and sleek separates, are currently available for pre-order on the site, and will be delivered within two to four weeks of an order being placed.
Azzi and Osta’s signatures are evident throughout, from sculptured silhouettes to eye-catching embroidery and clouds of tulle. Elsewhere, exaggerated pleats stand to attention with razor-sharp precision and a classic trench coat is reimagined with a lace-panelled back.
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- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
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- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
OIL PLEDGE
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THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
