Photo: Courtesy of Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com
Zuhair Murad is the latest designer to pull out of the Paris haute couture week schedule, which started on January 25. The Lebanese couturier was set to present his spring/summer 2021 collection on January 27.
Citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as a reason for not presenting the collection, he said, “The devastation caused by the pandemic and the drastic restrictions taken worldwide, the safety of our community and especially the wellbeing of our employees, who have participated in spreading beauty through various collections, remains our top priority. Therefore, Zuhair Murad has taken the decision to postpone the 27 January showcase of its Couture Spring Summer 2021 collection.”
Photo: Courtesy of Zuhair Murad
The news doesn’t come long after fellow Lebanese couturiers Elie Saab and Georges Hobeika also announced that they would forego presenting their latest haute couture collections. Hobeika and Saab’s decisions, like Murad’s, were also made in light of the pandemic, and to ensure public safety. “As the pandemic of the coronavirus remains strong, health restrictions are being put in place around the world: they are needed to help healthcare workers and researchers that save precious lives,” Hobeika said in a statement.
Murad continued his statement: “We thank you for your kindness, support, and understanding as we look forward to scheduling the show in a near and peaceful future.” Hobeika and Saab are also expected to reschedule their respective shows during safer, peaceful, and happier times.
The past couple of weeks have seen Lebanon a new record for daily infection rates, with more than 78,812 cases being recorded in the past 20 days. On Wednesday, January 20, the Lebanese Health Ministry’s Scientific Committee on Combating the Coronavirus Pandemic also advised extending the country’s national lockdown by two weeks
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