I
have been a feminist my whole life. As a woman, I have always wanted to be
independent, especially from men, and to be successful and happy on my own. One
day, I may consider changing my lifestyle. But for now, I am sticking to who I
am. That’s why I went to meet some other women who, like me, struggle to
achieve their dreams and to be on their own in this male-dominated society.
Every
once in a while, I will try to bring you, readers, the profile of a women
activist/writer/stylist/nutritionist etc. who was brave enough to go after her
dreams and to realize her vision in a country where she barely has some rights,
where she can be beaten to death with no law to protect her, where she can give
birth to many children without being able to give them her own nationality.
Chantalle
Azzi – Owner of “Chantalle Azzi Haute Couture” and “The Little Designer”
When
I decided to work on this post, I thought that I wanted to meet women who live
in my local community and who make a difference in my region. I didn’t want to
go down to the capital city, where it’s more likely to find a woman who has her
own shop of handmade bags, shoes, or clothes. I wanted to portray the women
next door, the lady from the small Man’ouché shop, the girl behind the new
concept store, the teacher who works at the public school, etc. and so, I did.
I went and met all these beautiful, charming, warrior women who, on a daily
basis, get closer and closer to becoming the next “women entrepreneur”.
Today,
I bring you the story of a very talented couture designer named Chantalle Azzi
who was “stubborn” enough to go after her dreams and to launch her own fashion
line at a very young age (She is just 20-years-old!).
As
her mother and brother told me when I sat down with them, Chantalle has loved
arts since she was a teenager. In grade 8, during math hours, she used to
scratch some designs on her notebooks. Seeing that, her mother encouraged her
and made her take painting and private fashion design lessons every day of the
week during her last 3 years at school. When she graduated, Chantalle chose
fashion design as a major and was accepted in a Parisian university to pursue
her career.
Almost
a year ago, she came back to Lebanon and she recently opened her own shops:
“Chantalle Azzi Couture Designer” and “The Little Designer”. Two different shops,
two different concepts. The first one carries her name and is mainly the
“fashion atelier” where she unleashes her imagination and creates on-demand
evening gowns. The second one is totally different. It’s home for her own
casual designs and for other designers’ collections as well. “I introduced a
new concept when I opened “The Little Designer” shop”, she says. “People are
usually used to customizing their eveningwear, but not the outfits they wear on
a daily basis. What makes my shop different is that customers come in during
the week and ask me to customize the outfits they’re going to wear on the
weekend”.
When
asked about what her future plans for the brands are, Chantalle said: “I want to
have a boutique in every region of Lebanon. More importantly, I always dream of
having a charity work where I can join power with other local Lebanese designers
to do something good for our community, something good in a fashionable way”.
Well,
I wish you the best of luck Ms. Azzi and I hope that you will spread your
beautiful spirit wherever you can!
That’s
it for today, my dear readers. Stay tuned for more “feminist-at-heart” profiles.
-Xoxo,
Tala
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