THE CREATIVE SPACE: MAKING DESIGNERS NOT CLOTHES
Elissar Harati

NowLebanon

Aug 17, 2011

Carmen Havatian, a charismatic and self-assertive 22 year old, points
to her newly designed silk dress with pride. The young Lebanese
Armenian stylist has dreamed of becoming a fashion designer ever
since she can remember, but fashion schools are rare and pricey in
Lebanon, and she never had the financial means to foot the bill. After
graduating from high school, Havatian worked as a shopkeeper for a
year, scrimping and saving in the hope that she could one day afford
an education in fashion design.

Her efforts were in vain: “I couldn’t afford to go to fashion school.

ESMOD (L’Ecole Superieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode, a French
fashion school with branches throughout the world), the best school
in the country, costs $10,000 per year.” Havatian eventually decided
to enroll in the Lebanese University to study graphic design. “It’s
still close to fashion design,” she says with a wink.

This summer, Havatian’s luck changed when she was presented with an
extraordinary opportunity: “My aunt, who works for an NGO, heard of
a young woman looking for students interested in studying fashion
design for free,” she recalls.

The young woman was Sarah Hermez, a graduate of Parsons design school
in New York. Hermez recently initiated The Creative Space, a socially
responsible fashion project that aims to inspire and empower budding
designers by providing free courses.

The search for students who aspired to a career in fashion design but
lacked the means to invest in specialized training took over a month.

Hermez scouted the country from North to South: “I gathered potential
candidates through networks at orphanages, Palestinian camps and NGOs,”
she told NOW Extra. The main selection criteria were commitment and
dedication, as students would have to forego their summer vacation
to attend classes five days a week, for two months, in a rented space
at Saifi Urban Gardens in Mar Mikhael.

Certain parents were reluctant to let their children leave their
neighborhood: “Have the classes in the refugee camp!” said one
Palestinian family. But Hermez was unwilling to compromise. “The
classes had to take place on relatively neutral ground because the
objective of the project is to break barriers,” she explains.

Hermez finally chose five students aged between 16 and 22 from various
cultural backgrounds: Eman Aswad, Baraa Al Abdullah, Nurhan Abdullatif,
Sophie Youssef and Carmen Havatian.

Classes began in June. Caroline Simonelli, a renowned Lebanese-American
designer and Hermez’s former professor at Parsons, flew into Beirut
from New York to offer her expertise and assist in leading the
workshop.

The classroom was a large alcove in an old building. One wall was
covered with a mood board, a collage of haute couture pictures and
sketches. The vibe was relaxed and casual, and the mood was bright.

Hermez did not impose a curriculum or strict rules. Students recorded
their experience in a personal journal and were encouraged to share
their thoughts in class on a daily basis. This facilitated a more
horizontal teaching approach.

“I wanted to break away from the traditional student-teacher
relationship and create a collaborative environment,” Hermez says.

“The students voiced what they were pleased or discontented with,
and we adapted the direction of the class accordingly. I learned from
[my students] just as much as they learned from me.”

Hermez’s unconventional teaching method created close bonds between
students, enabling them to transcend cultural divides. Together with
technical skills, the young women gained invaluable social awareness.

Sophie, a Lebanese student from Jezzine, said: “This is the first time
I have made friends who are Palestinian, or Muslim for that matter.”

Carmen, who lives in Bourj Hammoud, echoed her classmate: “I didn’t
know that the situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon was so
bad and that they didn’t have the right to work.”

Each student designed about 5 dresses, which together form a
consistently elegant feminine collection. 33 dresses will be displayed
and sold in a silent auction at Saifi Urban Gardens this August 17th,
18th, and 19th. The highest bidders will be contacted for a customized
fitting at the end of the third day of the exhibition.

The Creative Space is a pilot project that aims to become a permanent,
sustainable free educational space for aspiring fashion designers.

The project will generate income for students, who receive a portion of
dress sales. All remaining profits will go towards running the school.

This is just the beginning for Eman, Baraa, Nurhan, Sophie, and Carmen,
who hope to one day make a name for themselves in the fashion world. If
the exhibition succeeds in attracting sponsors, the young women will
have the opportunity to further their education, and Hermez will be
able to reach out to more participants.

In the meantime, Carmen and Sophie plan to return to their graphic
design studies in September. Nurhan, who left education after the
Brevet (ninth grade exam), is thinking of taking English courses at
home in Sabra. Simonelli is going back to teach at Parsons in New York.

The Creative Space’s exhibition opens at Saifi Urban Gardens in Mar
Mikhael at 9pm tonight, and will run through the 18th and 19th of
August from from noon to 7pm. For more information on the project,
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