Elie Saab withdraws from Haute Couture Week as infection rates in Lebanon rise

Elie Saab is withdrawing from Paris Haute Couture Week, as Lebanon imposes a strict lockdown to combat a spike in coronavirus cases.

Haute Couture Week will take place from Monday, January 25 to Thursday, January 28.

Speaking to WWD, Elie Saab Jr, the brand's chief executive, revealed that although the collection is ready, a decision had been made to postpone its presentation until conditions in the country have improved.

“The haute couture collection is ready, but there’s the whole shooting logistic, which is quite complicated. We decided to take a small break and wait for the right time to shoot it and to present it to the public.

“What we’ve seen in recent weeks in Lebanon is an important escalation of cases and an important scarcity in hospital beds and hospital tools such as respirators. Things are really getting out of control, so we have to be cautious, we have to be responsible,” said Saab Jr.

“Honestly, the risk is too high, and for us, regardless of what we are doing, safety comes first, especially the safety of our employees and everyone that’s working on the collection.”

Lebanon entered a 25-day nationwide lockdown on January 7, after a surge in infections following the Christmas holidays. This is the country’s third lockdown since the pandemic began and includes a 6pm to 5am curfew until Monday, February 1, and a reduction in the number of flights allowed into Rafic Hariri International Airport.

Elie Saab presented its most recent haute couture collection in September, in the form of an ethereal video that doubled as a sartorial love letter to the Lebanese capital. Titled Beirut, the Sacred Source, it featured a concoction of otherworldly gowns, fusing dramatic lines with delicate of fabrics.

"Everything in this world seems fantastical and unreal, yet it is all so realisable," the label posted on Instagram alongside the video. "Elie Saab is painting a path onward, a way for his Beirut to shine forward, an ability to dream that gives breath to hope, to a future full of possibilities."