This is Beirut

Motswedi: Botswana’s 2,488-Carat Gem Draws Global Cultural Interest

This is Beirut, 16:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Mining Luxury Museum Belgium Botswana Canada Culture

The world's second-largest diamond could soon find a new home in a museum or a sheikh's collection, but first needs to be properly evaluated, the Belgian firm holding it told AFP Monday. Unearthed last year in Botswana, the 2,488-carat stone known as Motswedi is currently being analyzed by gem dealer HB Antwerp in the namesake port city ...

The Controversy and Potential Behind Jaden Smith’s Rise at Christian Louboutin

This is Beirut, 18/09 18:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Fashion Luxury Louboutin Celebrity France US Culture

French fashion icon Christian Louboutin's decision to name Will Smith's son Jaden as his chief menswear designer is a bold choice that took the industry by surprise, and stirred up fresh allegations of "nepo-baby" favoritism. When not following in the footsteps of his famous father into acting and rap music, 27-year-old Smith ...

London Fashion Week Kicks Off with Bold Plans to Boost British Creativity

This is Beirut, 18/09 14:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fashion Week London Kick-Off Britain Luxury Culture

London Fashion Week, which is under new leadership after 16 years, opens Thursday with hopes of reinvigorating its runway schedule and easing the financial woes of its young designers. "This season marks... the beginning of a new era for British fashion," said Laura Weir, former creative director of luxury department store Selfridges, who ...

Armani’s Will Opens Door to Luxury Group Stake Sale

This is Beirut, 12/09 21:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Fashion Luxury Armani Italy Culture

Fashion legend Giorgio Armani asked in his will made public Friday for a major luxury group to take a stake in his company, citing LVMH, EssilorLuxottica or L'Oreal as potential buyers. The Italian designer, who died on September 4 aged 91, had kept strict control of the business empire built up over five decades, which ranged from haute couture ...

Ralph Lauren Opens New York Fashion Week With Minimalist Spring 2026 Collection

This is Beirut, 11/09 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Fashion Week New-York KickOff Raplh Lauren Luxury Culture

Ralph Lauren moved the start of New York Fashion Week a few hours early, presenting a Spring 2026 collection on Wednesday that the designer described as minimalist with a touch of softness. The setting: the designer's offices on tony Madison Avenue, where models presented a range of fitted and flowing silhouettes mostly in solid ...

Giorgio Armani’s Family Bids Private Farewell at Historic Rivalta Church

This is Beirut, 08/09 14:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Fashion Luxury Funeral Giorgio Armani Italy Culture

The private funeral of fashion legend Giorgio Armani was set to take place Monday in a picturesque village near Piacenza, in the northern Italian region where the designer grew up. Only about 60 people were expected at the 3:30 pm (1330 GMT) ceremony, according to local media, at the 14th-century Church of San Martino in Rivalta, south of ...

Taylor Swift’s Madame Tussauds Wax Glamour Dazzles in Zuhair Murad

This is Beirut, 02/08 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Fashion Luxury Zuhair Murad Music Taylor Swift Culture

Madame Tussauds celebrates Taylor Swift’s iconic career with its most ambitious project to date: a historic simultaneous launch of 13 wax figures, across four continents, each capturing a unique era. In New York, the Midnights era figure takes center stage, all dressed up in a custom Zuhair Murad design recreated with couture precision. The wax ...

Gucci owner Kering posts 46% profit slump before new CEO arrives

This is Beirut, 30/07 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gucci Fashion Luxury Art Culture

French luxury group Kering reported Tuesday a 46 percent plunge in net profit during the first half, with sales slumping again at its flagship Gucci brand, as the group awaits a new CEO to try to regain its footing. Group net profit fell to 474 million euros ($547 million) in the first half from 878 million in the same period last year, on sales ...

Luxury Bag Counterfeiting Takes on Major Fashion Houses

Bélinda Ibrahim, 15/07 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Luxury Bags China TikTok Viral Counterfeits

At first glance, the video looks like just another promo for cut-price products. A young woman praises a handbag “identical to an Hermès model” for a fraction of the cost. The brand is blurred, but the resemblance is unmistakable. The caption reads: “Luxury brands are all made in China.” In other words: why pay €10,000 for a Hermès bag ...

Paris Couture in Review: The Week’s Most Striking Moments

This is Beirut, 11/07 15:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fashion Luxury Celebrity Paris France Culture

Paris Haute Couture Week has wrapped up after four days of shows that featured the end of an era at Balenciaga, the start of a new one at Maison Margiela, and some surprise appearances and absences. AFP looks back on the key moments of the Autumn-Winter 2025-2026 season: New Eras Demna bowed out at Balenciaga after a decade in charge with a ...

Jane Birkin’s First Hermès Birkin Bag Breaks Auction Record

This is Beirut, 10/07 18:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Fashion Hermès Jane Birkin Luxury Heritage Culture

The first-ever Hermès Birkin bag, custom-made for Jane Birkin in 1984, was sold at auction in Paris on Thursday for €8.582 million, including fees, according to Sotheby’s. This oversized black leather tote was the original prototype of what would become one of the most iconic and expensive handbags in the world. Until now, the most ...

Demna bows out at Balenciaga with star-studded Paris catwalk show

This is Beirut, 09/07 18:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Fashion Week Luxury Paris Celebrity Culture

Maverick Georgian fashion designer Demna bowed out after 10 years at Balenciaga on Wednesday with a star-studded Paris show featuring Kim Kardashian and veteran supermodel Naomi Campbell on the catwalk. The final collection from the 44-year-old - who is switching to fellow Kering-owned brand Gucci - was watched by celebrities from Nicole Kidman ...

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