Rouba Moukadem

Rouba Moukadem’s brand is a contemporary clothing with a couture touch.

The designer

Rouba Moukadem is a Tripoli-born designer who discovered her passion for fashion at a very young age. As a child, she used to stuff fabric dolls and style them. Later, she quickly learned how to sew and created some of her outfits. Her initial inspiration lingered within the glorious era of the 70s and 80s. She stated that the fashion scene that proliferated during Dalida’s live concert in el Mina in the late seventies, as well as the one revived in “Dynasty,” the reminiscent show set in the eighties, gravely marked her path. Moukadem was an Economics honour list student at the American University of Beirut. Yet, she decided to drop her major and enroll herself in ESMOD Athens (Veloudakis) for three years, embracing her true passion. She then spent another three years in Paris as she attended the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. During her stay in Paris, she did three prominent internships at the Maison Dior. In summer 1995, Moukadem returned to reside and flourish in Lebanon. She started working from home until she opened her atelier and boutique in 1998. In 2018, she celebrated 20 years of her atelier in a retrospective exhibition set in the abandoned train station in Mina, a place which holds a sincere nostalgic sense in its own way. 

Throughout her rich career path, Moukadem faced a plethora of challenges that she never surrendered to. However, one of her biggest challenges was of sentimental and personal value to her. When discussing her stance on high fashion in the Arab world, Moukadem stated that the latter is evolving in the Arab world thanks to the Lebanese designers’ constant and significant successes in the international scene, and on the red carpet specifically. She also noted that casual Arab fashion still needs to exert rigorous endeavours to catch up with the modern world, favouring practicality, comfort, and ecological concerns. Rouba Moukadem has also left her mark in the domain of women empowerment. For International Women’s Day, she designed the “me” T-shirt which aims to celebrate each woman’s uniqueness. 

With over 22 years of experience, Lebanese designer Rouba Moukadem continues to strive within the prolific field of fashion, while maintaining her alignment of aesthetics and refinement in the esteem of ethics and utility. She ardently believes in the uniqueness of every piece she creates for her clienteles, for they are her true muses and models.

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