A Cinderella story with Pailiani, on the streets of Beirut City.

It all started when I dragged my cousin along to see a side of Bourj Hammoud we had never seen before. An artistic one. This place has many stories to tell, and alot of history for me. Afterall it is where my mother grew up, where she and her family sought shelter from shelling and where they saw color tv for the first time...to name only a few. But to see it from an artistic, and inspirational perspective, is really something else. You walk through the buzzing streets and you can hear the sounds from each atelier; the ticking of a sowing machine's needle, the jewelery maker's hammer banging consistently on his wooden work desk. Just across my grandma's house, is my cousin's shoe making workshop. I used to peak in during the summer to see what they were working on..the fabrics, sketches and prototypes. Of course their style is different since they cater to a local Lebanese market, but I loved watching them hard at work. A couple of doors down, but on the same street, is where Vartan's been making purses for the past 24 years that I've been passing by his window...These are but a few of the artisans who have turned Bourj Hammoud into the vibrant market that it is today. During my last trip to Lebanon, I attended the Varbed createur event that showcased the younger generation of Lebanese-Armenian craftsman. Missak Haji-Avedikian is one of the designers I had the pleasure to meet and keep in touch with.

Another designer was Hrag Pailian, a shoe designer carrying on his father's legacy. A former Guiseppe Zanotti intern and graduate from Italy in shoe design, he came back to Lebanon and started his own line, under the name of Pailiani Design. I fell in love with his designs and suggested he work with me for a spring-summer lookbook. A couple of days later, we planned a quick photoshoot in Gemmayzeh and took some beautiful pictures. I also paid a visit to his atelier, where we listened to the music that inspires his designs. And he told me the story behind this guitar....


and how he got Steve Vai to sign it. He told me about all his adventures in Italy and the concerts he attended. Roger Waters, Pink Floyd, Skid Row, Scorpions, Deep Purple...to name only a few. He even missed his train once after a Santana concert, and decided to sleep outside. The concert tickets he held on to, (seen above) are part of the memories that inspire him...I asked if he regretted leaving Italy and if he'd want to go back there. Yes, was an obvious answer. But he was in Lebanon to continue what his grandfather started decades ago. This week he gets to add another ticket to his collection, BB King, the legendary blues singer who has a concert in Beirut.
He plays the guitar, obviously, and wears a pick around his neck. He listens to live concert sets while sketching in the early a.m., when everybody else is sleeping. The Atelier is his stage, his pencil is the guitar, the lines on the paper are his melody....and I'm his groupie :)

Moving on to the collection. Now I don't have the most beautiful feet or legs, but somehow all the shoes were a perfect fit!
Here are my picks and favorites from the collection, and the pictures I chose for my blog. You can check out the rest of the gorgeous collection on the Pailiani facebook group.

Detailed to perfection...

Photos taken by: Nareg D.B.

These photos haven't been edited, they are just the ones I kept for my blog.  You can find the ones that are being used for the lookbook on the Pailiani Design facebook group.
The designer also works on custom orders for private clients and is currently looking to expand his business to other countries in the Middle East, so if you're a buyer or you know one, do get in touch!

Hope you like the photos! :)