Lebanese designer Karine Tawil launched her brand Karoline Lang in 2010. Fast forward a few years and she is on the verge of producing six collections a year—two ready-to-wear, two couture, and two bridal; her brand is poised for growth in L.A., the “new fashion capital”; and she gearing up for continued expansion in the West. Introducing Karoline Lang on Style.com/Arabia, Caterina Minthe speaks with Tawil about her family ties, how Beirut ultimately served as her platform to the world, and why the fashion industry needs more designers with vision.
ON FAMILY TIES
I never wanted to see my name on the [brand] label—it’s just something that makes me uncomfortable. My grandmother’s last name was Lang—she was Austrian—but it has the same meaning of my last name [Tawil] in Arabic. Both mean “tall.” My grandmother was an important woman in our family and a big source of inspiration to me. Everyone was so excited about the project—and it belongs to all of us—it’s not just mine.
ON FINDING HER CALLING
Growing up, I was very shy; I was always dreaming, and never listening. I wanted to be an architect—like my mom—I never thought I would become a fashion designer. I started studying economics but I felt so depressed and needed something different. I had a friend who asked me, “Do you want to come with me to Milan and study fashion?” It was like a revelation.
ON BEIRUT AS A SPRINGBOARD TO THE WORLD
I was born and raised in Beirut. I lived here until I was 20-years-old and then left to study fashion in Milan at the Istituto Europeo di Design and then I worked for Marni for a year. Afterwards, I went to a prestigious school in Paris called Institut Français de la Mode. I then went to New York and worked for Reem Acra before I started working as a consultant for different designers and then I launched my own brand.
ON HER SIGNATURE STYLE
I think that there is something very simple about my silhouette—but at the same time it’s very technical and intricate to make. There is a lot of pleating and blending of different fabrics. I also like to create new fabrics—give me a plain fabric and I’ll torture it, knit it—I always find a way to transform things from their initial forms. I’m also in love with leather and that’s something that is really present in this collection.
ON SOPHISTICATION
Men’s fabric inspires me; in fact eighty percent of the fabric I use comes from menswear because I think that there is an elegance and sophistication to menswear. When you put on the clothes, you feel tailored, strong—and that’s a source of inspiration and a concept that I keep thinking about when I design, season after season. Meanwhile, the fabrics make you feel comfortable and at the same time very sophisticated.
ON BEING A DESIGNER WITH A VISION
We have a showroom in Beirut and my workshop is here. We are keeping the whole production based here because I want to be able to create jobs in Lebanon and high-end quality clothes here. I know where I’m going, and where I want to get to, and making a business plan and looking for investors is part of the process. A lot of designers work on a day-to-day basis of, “How much do we sell, and how much do we make?” and the vision in terms of “creating a sustainable brand” is lost.
