Elie Saab

Elie Saab is a wedding dress designer who was born on July 4, 1964, in Beirut to a Maronite Catholic household. Out of five children born to a Damour timber dealer, Saab is the oldest one. He has been stitching since he was a child and is a self-taught professional. He was just nine years old when he became interested in fashion. He took out patterns from magazines and scoured his mother's cabinet for extra laces as he was passionate about his hobby. His sister was his mannequin at the time, and the gown he designed for her astonished his family.

In 1982, Saab founded a fashion firm in Beirut with fifteen employees at the age of eighteen. At the time, his attention and expertise were on creating couture for brides, which included stitching bridal gowns and dresses with high-quality lace, fabrics, gems, pearls, silk threads, and delicate needlework. He immediately became well-known in the surrounding areas, thanks to the high-society females who flaunted his creations.

In 1997, he was admitted to the Italian Camera Nazionale della Moda for the first time as a non-Italian designer. In the same year, he debuted his first apparel collection outside of his home country, in Rome. In 1998, he debuted a prêt-à-porter collection in Milan, as well as a fashion retrospective in Monaco, which was attended by Princess Stéphanie of Monaco. For her enthronement ceremony a year later, Queen Rania of Jordan wore an Elie Saab gown adorned with diamonds and emeralds.