Media & Press
Stories, features, and coverage from around the world highlighting Creative Space Beirut’s model of free design education.
في زاويةٍ من هذا الوطن المتعب، وعلى أنقاض المصانع التي أرهقها الزمن، يولد الأملُ كخيط حرير...
ينساب من بين أصابع الموهوبين، يحيكون به ملامح مستقبل أكثر إنصافًا وأكثر إشراقًا.
هكذا بدا المشهدُ في مصنع “أبرويان” العريق في برج حمود.
Press | Yung | 26-Jun-25
Design as a declaration, not just a collection. A bold statement of presence, voice, and community. The CSB students remind us: fashion is purpose-driven.
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Press | Jdeed | June 27, 2025
At JDEED, we’ve been following the journey of Creative Space Beirut since its earliest days, from Mar Mikhail to Souks to their now gorgeous campus Rue Monot. CSB always stood out; not just as a design school, but as a mission.
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Feature | L’Orient-Le Jour | 26-Jun-25
Dans les locaux de l’ancien immeuble Abroyan à Bourj Hammoud, de jeunes talents dévoilent leurs créations dans un espace qui redéfinit la mode comme un acte engagé. La graduation 2025 se veut manifeste social, culturel et esthétique.
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Press | Beirut.com | 27-Jun-25
On Wednesday, June 25, Creative Space Beirut held their first graduation show since 2018, showcasing powerful thesis collections from their graduating students alongside designs by second-year students.
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Press | L’Officiel Arabia | 25-Jun-25
Creative Space Beirut is a tuition-free fashion school changing lives through design. Its mission is to foster inclusivity and creative opportunity in Lebanon.Their latest graduates reflect innovation rooted in identity.
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Press | Vogue Arabia | 2-Jun-25
Premiered at London’s Shubbak Festival, this 16-minute documentary by Pia Brynteson and Ramzi Hibri offers an intimate look into Creative Space Beirut—a tuition-free fashion school empowering Lebanon's next generation of designers amidst national adversity.
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Press | Beirut.com | 29-May-25
On its opening day, the Shubbak Festival 2025 unveiled a vibrant tapestry of Arab creativity and innovation. Shubbak—Arabic for “window”—is London’s largest biennial celebration of contemporary Arab culture.
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Film | Service95 | 28-May-25
A short documentary celebrating the strong community spirit at Creative Space Beirut. Co-directed by Pia Brynteson and Ramzi Hibri, the film follows young Lebanese creatives navigating their fashion education and careers amid crisis, identity, and resilience.
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Press | British Vogue | 27-May-25
The Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s Southbank Centre is buzzing with excited chatter in numerous languages and dialects.
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Feature | Service95 | 20-May-25
Design student Jihan Azzam is one of many young creatives whose lives have been transformed by Creative Space Beirut (CSB), a remarkable nonprofit fashion school in central Beirut redefining who gets to belong in the industry.
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Press | Dazed | 16-May-25
3EIB’s three-day fashion programme will feature over 30 independent brands, plus everything else you missed in fashion this week.
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Feature | EBRD | 1‑May‑25
This year’s participant bags will be produced by Creative Space Beirut (CSB), which offers free fashion design education to talented young people from less...
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Press | Yung | 3-Mar-25
Creative Space Beirut and Archive Studios showcase the power of upcycling.
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Press | Lebanon Traveler | 24-Jan-25
Creative Space Beirut School of Design is a tuition-free school for fashion. It is radically committed to diversity and inclusivity within its program and admits a small pool of students each year based on talent and determination alone. Here, we learn more from Sarah Hermez, one of the founders.
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Press | L’Orient Le Jour | 8-Jan-25
Pour le Creative Space Beirut, l’école de mode gratuite et inclusive de la région, le compte à rebours a commencé. Sans un soutien urgent, l’un des viviers de l’industrie pourrait bientôt mettre la clé sous la porte.
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أطلقت Creative Space Beirut، وھي مدرسة رائدة مجانیة لتصمیم الأزیاء في لبنان، حملة التمویل الجماعي رسمیًا في 17 دیسمبر 2024، لإبقاء أبوابھا مفتوحة ومواصلة توفیر الفرص التحویلیة للشباب الموھوبین من فئة المجتمعات المحرومة، أو غير القادرة على توفير الجو المثالي المطلوب للبدء في هذا المجال الواسع.
Feature | Beirut.com | 13-Dec-24
Since its establishment in 2011, Creative Space Beirut has been a refuge for students passionate about fashion design, providing free education to those who couldn’t afford it. As the only free fashion design school in Lebanon, it has opened doors to countless aspiring designers.
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In the vibrant heart of Lebanon, Creative Space Beirut (CSB) has quietly revolutionized the lives of young creatives for over a decade.
Taking the exclusivity out of fashion and creating space for young designers to create.
Our landmark November issue is dedicated to the creatives who – amid increasing hardships – shine love and light into the spaces that need it most. This month, we dedicate our issue to Lebanon. Forever in our hearts.
Beirut is once again torn apart by violence. Once hailed as the Middle East’s most fashionable city, it now bears the scars of war: over a million people have been displaced and almost a quarter of the country’s buildings have been destroyed by Israeli bombardment. Yet Lebanon endures.
Beirut's creatives keep thriving—blending old and new to keep the city's cultural soul alive.
As Lebanon is swept by a wave of bombing and political uncertainty, free design school and charity Creative Space Beirut has issued an appeal to help continue its work supporting talented young designers in the region.
After a year of war, things continued to heat up in the Middle East this week. BoF spoke to industry sources in the region to assess the impact, from Beirut’s ateliers to fashion retailers in Dubai.
“Life in Beirut is a mix of beautiful chaos,” describes Lebanese photographer and artist Yasmina Hilal. “Every day brings something different – some tougher than others, but each contributes to this beautiful chaos.”
Qatar’s Fashion Trust Arabia held a party at Claridge’s Hotel in London on Monday to celebrate its cohort of winners for 2023.
The Arab Institute for Women holds a regional dialogue with experts on the intersection of poverty and gender inequality while featuring success stories of Lebanese women entrepreneurs.
The Fashion Trust Arabia, a fashion fund dedicated to spotlighting Middle Eastern talent, announced seven winners of its prize on Monday.
“Considering the amount of work that needed to be done in Lebanon, I wanted my efforts and time to go towards a vision that could potentially mean something, spark some kind of change.”
Egypt is finally getting its very own fashion week, shining a spotlight on the country’s rich culture and booming fashion scene. With a lineup of emerging and established designers, the event promises to celebrate local talent on an international scale.
Roni Helou, one of Lebanon’s leading young fashion designers, has quickly risen to prominence. With a globally recognized brand, he’s redefining fashion through bold vision and sustainable innovation.
From March 17–19, 2022, 70 delegates from across 12 countries gathered in Beirut to participate in a dynamic three-day AGBU regional conference—featuring panel discussions, public recognitions, formal dinners, and cultural entertainment.
After graduating from Parsons in New York, Sarah Hermez returned to Beirut to start a three-year fashion school offering scholarships to talented youth lacking access to creative education—founding what would become Creative Space Beirut.
Four months after the devastating Port of Beirut explosion, a resilient group of Lebanese creatives—including students and designers from Creative Space Beirut—continue to drive the city's fashion scene forward against all odds.
BEIRUT: Beirut is often seen as the center of the Middle East’s fashion scene and is home to old-hand couturiers like Elie Saab as well as fresh streetwear designers like Roni Helou, which begs the question: Who is educating the new generation of designers?
The fusing of free, quality education, social entrepreneurship and design may seem like an impossible feat. But Sarah Hermez, Founder of the Creative Space Beirut took on the challenge.
Lebanon’s Roni Helou is a regular at Fashion Forward Dubai (FFWD), showing alongside fellow Creative Space Beirut alumni. His presentation, shared with Hazem Kais, highlights sustainable fashion from the Middle East—a theme drawing attention across the industry.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors that make Beirut a fashion hub by studying the characteristics of creativity and the role of the different stakeholders in setting an environment that encourages creativity in Beirut.
Big names like Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad are no strangers to our ears. From Hollywood’s hottest red carpets to the Cannes Film Festival, the multi-talented Lebanese fashion designers have dressed both international celebrities and our local superstars.
Humbly-situated in one of Beirut’s richest quarters, Creative Space Beirut occupies its setting with great unconventionality. Despite its barely-memorable first impression when compared to the lavish, vibrant buildings around, it would be a mistake for any passerby not to venture inside.
Almost everywhere around the world, tuition fees have risen steeply. That’s why, seven years ago, Lebanese Parsons graduate Sarah Hermez founded Creative Space Beirut—a tuition‑free, nonprofit three‑year fashion school for students who can’t afford education.
Sarah is an entrepreneur and also a believer in people. Lebanese-Armenian, Sarah was born and raised in Kuwait. After graduating from Parsons New School, in New York City, she returned to Beirut and started a three-year fashion school dedicated to providing scholarships [...].
When I think of classic New York City, women like Mrs. Caroline Simonelli are always part of that vision. A legend in the only city that can support that sort of creativity—she does not hold back with questions, opinions, or advice because she has seen it all.
Bold colors, fierce looks, and uniqueness—that’s how the runway of Dekweneh warehouse was illuminated as the innovative designs of Creative Space Beirut (CSB) were displayed by topnotch models.
This feature highlights the mission and values of Creative Space Beirut and its efforts to make quality fashion education accessible in Lebanon by showcasing student work and collaborative design projects.
Meet seventeen Lebanese women who have helped shape the entrepreneurial, political, social, and cultural scenes. And also, let’s not forget the many others who continue to inspire us in so many ways.
“Fashion can make us dream, empower us, bring out emotions and put forward a chosen identity… But education is costly. Lebanon, full of creativity, also faces such struggles where education is expensive and opportunities scarce.”
An in-depth feature on Creative Space Beirut as a transformative institution using fashion education to promote inclusivity and change.
تقدّم علامة Second Street قمصاناً استثنائيّة وتعمل لدعم قضيّة مهمّة أيضاً. وأتيحت لنا الفرصة لنقابل مؤسّستَي هذه العلامة، Tracy Moussi وSarah Hermez للتحدّث معهما عن اختيارهما تصميم القمصان وعن طريقتهما في مساعدة المواهب الصاعدة.
While it is often said that design talent in Lebanon is plentiful, a substantial percentage of this talent could be going to waste due to lack of access to free design education.
Creative Space Beirut is redefining design education in Lebanon. By combining fashion, creativity, and social justice, the school empowers students from underprivileged backgrounds through a fully-funded, high-quality program.
“It’s an exciting time to launch a fashion design program in Lebanon,” says LAU’s Yasmine Taan. With boutique scenes in Mar Mikhael and emerging designers gaining global recognition, Beirut pulses with raw, driven creative energy.
All eyes are on the Middle East, not only for its geopolitical significance but for its creative renaissance. The region is steadily asserting itself as a global center for contemporary fashion and design innovation.
تعرّفي إلى المصمّمة اللبنانية Sarah Hermez التي عادت إلى وطنها لتؤسّس Creative Space Beirut، مدرسة تصميم الأزياء المجانية التي تمنح الطلاب من خلفيات متواضعة تعليماً بمستوى عالمي، كتجربتها في نيويورك.
After receiving a dual degree from Parsons and Lang, Sarah Hermez set out to merge creativity and social justice. That mission became Creative Space Beirut, a free three-year fashion school for students from diverse, underserved backgrounds.
Young men and women concentrating on cutting fabric or sketching patterns can hardly believe they’re living a dream that once felt impossibly distant—one made possible through the mission of Creative Space Beirut.
Five years ago, designer Sarah Hermez left New York to launch a school for aspiring designers who couldn’t afford tuition. At Fashion Forward Dubai, she reflects on Creative Space Beirut’s journey and the impact it's made.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, this feature highlights nine inspiring Lebanese women—among them change-makers like Sarah Hermez—who have left an indelible mark through their work in fashion, entrepreneurship, and social advocacy.
The school is empowering aspiring fashion designers from underserved communities by giving them access to free, high-quality education—breaking social and economic barriers within Lebanon’s creative industries.
Styliste diplômée de Parsons New York, avec en prime une formation en média et culture, Sarah Hermez ne conçoit pourtant pas, à 25 ans, d'entrer dans la voie toute tracée d'une carrière classique.
Despite heavy rain, nearly 400 guests gathered at Dar El Nimer to attend Creative Space Beirut’s Graduate Fashion Show—highlighting the impressive achievements of its students and the growing support for the school’s mission.
Beirut is a city of contradictions, where the weight of its past meets the energy of its youth. Emerging designers, artists, and initiatives like Creative Space Beirut are reimagining the city’s creative future—acknowledging history without being bound by it.
Determined to merge fashion with social impact, Sarah Hermez founded Creative Space Beirut, a tuition-free design school changing lives in Lebanon—one stitch at a time.
Inside an old pink building in Mar Mikhael, Creative Space Beirut thrives as a chaotic haven of color, creativity, and raw talent—providing free education for aspiring designers in an environment where imagination knows no limits.
Creative Space Beirut (CSB), Lebanon’s first free fashion school, was founded by Lebanese-Armenian fashion designer Sarah Hermez, Al-Monitor reports.
De plus en plus de stars internationales choisissent de porter les créations de stylistes libanais, dont la créativité et le savoir-faire séduisent les tapis rouges du monde entier.
Sarah built a free fashion design school when she was 25. Why free? Because it takes all of us to design the world around us. And because it’s the best way to bring down social walls and weave together new threads across the fabric of society.
BEIRUT — It's in the refugee camps and orphanages of Lebanon that Creative Space Beirut, a fashion school, looks for emerging talent for its three-year program taught by top Lebanese and international designers.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - It's in the refugee camps and orphanages of Lebanon that Creative Space Beirut, a fashion school, looks for emerging talent for its three-year programme taught by top Lebanese and international designers.
In her TEDxBeirut talk, Sarah Hermez discusses founding Creative Space Beirut, a free fashion school with a mission to offer quality education to talented youth regardless of financial background.
Collaborating with local designers, The Creative Space hosts workshops as part of its program to encourage peer-to-peer learning and share design knowledge. Parsons sponsored a visiting professor and renowned designers donated materials to support the initiative.
Sarah Hermez, Georges Chakra and Roni Helou were all affected, but chose different ways forward.