Heritage
A house, in its own words
The Elie Saab fashion house opened its doors in Beirut in 1982, founded by designer Elie Saab, whose bridal gowns quickly attracted an international clientele. After three decades of runway success, the brand entered the fragrance market in 2011 with Le Parfum, a collaboration with master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. The scent earned the Fragrance Foundation’s FiFi Award for Best New Fragrance in both the United Kingdom and the United States during its debut year, marking a rare dual‑region recognition for a debut perfume. Building on that momentum, the house introduced a numbered Essence series between 2014 and 2017, each edition exploring a single dominant ingredient such as rose, oud, or ambre. In 2025, the brand announced its first men’s fragrance, L’Homme, extending the olfactory narrative to a broader audience while maintaining the same emphasis on craftsmanship. Throughout its evolution, Elie Saab has kept its Lebanese roots visible, often referencing the Mediterranean flora and the artisanal traditions of the Levant in both scent composition and visual presentation. The fragrance philosophy at Elie Saab rests on three pillars: narrative depth, material integrity, and a seamless bridge between fashion and scent. The house treats each perfume as an extension of a runway collection, seeking to evoke the same emotional response that a couture dress elicits. Ingredient selection favors provenance; the brand sources Moroccan rose, Syrian oud, and Tunisian ambergris‑free amber to ensure both authenticity and sustainability. Collaboration with established perfumers such as Francis Kurkdjian reflects a belief that expertise should complement, not dominate, the brand’s aesthetic. The creative process begins with a story board drawn from the designer’s latest couture themes, then translates visual motifs into olfactory accords, resulting in scents that feel like wearable art. Transparency about sourcing and a commitment to cruelty‑free testing underline the house’s modern ethical stance.