As the city of Beirut continues to recover following the devastating explosion that occurred two weeks ago, fashion designer Elie Saab has shared a message of hope to the people of Lebanon.
In a candid interview with Reuters, Saab, whose home was destroyed in the blast, recalled the moment he saw his son injured from the explosion.
“I saw my son covered in blood; I could not believe it,” he said. “I said OK, he is wounded, but it was OK, it was just cuts to his head and arms.”
However, further recounting the moment Saab admitted that while it was 15 minutes it “felt like two days long”.
“It was not just because it is a father and son thing, it was because we all work together like one family under one roof,” he added.
As a result of the blast, Saab’s office and headquarters – which has 200 members of staff working at the HQ – were also badly damaged.
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The designer, who founded his eponymous label in 1982 at the height of Lebanon’s civil war (1975 – 1990), likened the atmosphere in Beirut post-blast to that time.
“It was the same smell, the same dust, the broken glass. Honestly, we did not want to relive this and it was not necessary,” he told Reuters.
While the 56-year-old designer admits it has been a “huge setback”, he offered a hopeful message to the people of Beirut.
“This is a huge setback but we have to be like Beirut – every time dusting itself off and returning to the way it was,” he said. “We must go on … It does not become us as Lebanese to give up.”
However, it did pay tribute to those who lost their lives saying “the biggest loss is the people you can’t bring back”.
The devasting explosion killed 178, has left 6,000 injured and damaged entire communities in Beirut.
For further information on how you can help the people of Beirut click here.
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Images: Elie Saab Instagram
