Elie Saab has spent five decades dressing the world’s most glamorous women, from Beirut brides to Hollywood red carpets. Now, the Lebanese couturier is opening the doors of his atelier to a far broader audience. In this exclusive interview, Elie and his son Elie Saab Jr, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, discuss the vision behind the Elie Saab H&M collaboration, the craftsmanship that defines the house, and why the time is right to invite a new generation into the Elie Saab dream.
Elie Saab H&M Lookbook
YLA: How would you describe the collection in one sentence?
Elie Saab: An invitation into the Elie Saab dream.
Elie Saab Jr: Effortless glamour, which is exactly the Elie Saab DNA.
YLA: Why did this feel like the right time for H&M to collaborate with Elie Saab, and for Elie Saab to collaborate with H&M?
Elie Saab Jr: It felt like the right moment because the Elie Saab brand is entering a new phase of its evolution. We are expanding our global footprint and, importantly, strengthening ready-to-wear as a key driver of growth alongside couture. We’re also seeing a significant increase in engagement from younger audiences, particularly in the 18 to 25 segment. This collaboration allows us to respond to that momentum in a meaningful way.
Partnering with H&M gives us the scale and accessibility to reach a broader, more diverse audience while staying true to our creative vision. It’s about opening the door to the brand, inviting a new generation to become part of the Elie Saab world. For us, it’s both a strategic move and a natural extension of our ambition to grow the brand with discipline and intent, without compromising its identity.
YLA: How did you conceive of the collaboration: is it about classics from your archive, or a more specific vision of the Elie Saab brand today?
Elie Saab: This collection reflects who we are. Each piece carries the essence of our identity: timeless yet always evolving. There is a dialogue between modernity and the codes that define the house. Throughout the years, I’ve had the privilege of dressing generations of women, from grandmothers to daughters, and their daughters after them.
There is something very meaningful in seeing a piece passed on or reinterpreted by each generation in their own way. This sense of continuity, of shared stories and emotions, is at the heart of the collection. It is not simply a wardrobe for one woman, but for many women, for different moments, different ages, different lives. A collection that lives, evolves, and connects women across time.
YLA: Talk to us about how you distilled the Elie Saab spirit and signatures into this collection.
Elie Saab: I was deeply involved in every step of the process and truly enjoyed immersing myself in all the details, approaching it with the same care and dedication as I would my own collection. It was important to me that each element felt considered, from the construction to the finishing touches. The collection is true to the identity of the house: the balance between structure and fluidity, a sense of lightness, the richness of embellishment. For me, elegance is personal. It is about how each woman connects with a piece, how she makes it her own. This collection reflects that versatility, allowing every woman, at different moments in her life, to find something that resonates with her.
YLA: What do you see as the key garments that define Elie Saab as a label, and how are they represented within this collection?
Elie Saab: Gowns and eveningwear have always been the essence of the house; they are what people immediately associate with us. It was important for me to include pieces in the collection that reflect this signature and that sense of timeless glamour. At the same time, the house has evolved into something more complete. Today, it is about offering a full wardrobe, with tailoring, daywear, and more versatile pieces that respond to different moments in life. In this collection, you see that diversity: from more embellished designs to those defined by their structure and precision.
YLA: The dégradé effect is obviously such a signature of yours. Tell us why it appeals to you, how you started working with it, and how you have used it within this collection.
Elie Saab: Dégradé is, for me, a way of translating emotion into fabric. It is the art of allowing colour to evolve gradually, from light to depth, from one tone into another, creating a seamless transition that feels almost weightless. Within the house, it has become a signature because it transforms each piece into something more expressive, more alive. What makes it special is the level of craftsmanship behind it. It is not simply about colour, but about how it interacts with the fabric, with light, and with the movement of the body.
What I find so special about it is its ability to bring life to a silhouette. It follows the body, enhances it, and gives the impression that the piece is in constant motion. There is something very poetic and romantic in that fluidity, but also something precise in the way it must be executed. It brings softness and depth, while highlighting the lines and proportions of the design. It requires great precision to achieve this harmony.
YLA: Talking more about your roots, how do your Lebanese identity and heritage inspire your work?
Elie Saab: My roots are very present in everything I create. Growing up in Lebanon, and especially starting my journey in Beirut, shaped not only my path, but my entire vision of women. I opened my first atelier there at 18, and it was a very formative time: everything was done with instinct, observation, and respect for the women around me. Lebanese women have always been my first inspiration. They carry themselves with a natural elegance, but also with strength and determination. There is a richness in their personality, a balance between softness and resilience, between tradition and modernity. I think that sense of presence has always stayed with me.
What I learned from them is that beauty is never superficial. It is something lived, something embodied. It is in how a woman enters a room, how she speaks, how she carries her story. That understanding has guided my work from the very beginning. Even today, after so many years, I still design with that same spirit in mind.
YLA: What do you consider the hero pieces or key accessories of the collection to be, and do you have a favourite piece within the collection as a whole?
Elie Saab: I am very happy with the collection as a whole. Every look has its own meaning, its own story, and speaks to a different kind of woman, depending on her moment and her personality. It was very important to me, that there is not just one interpretation, but many. For that reason, I cannot really choose a favourite piece. Each one carries something of the house, and each one has its own purpose within the collection. I prefer to leave that discovery to the clients.
YLA: Talk to us about the colour palette. Why did you select these specific tones?
Elie Saab: The colour palette is built on our own codes: warm, deep, and natural tones that are very much part of the identity of the house. I have always been very meticulous when it comes to colour. For me, colour is never decorative; it is essential. It must be precise, because it interacts directly with the skin, with the silhouette, and with the light. It is about finding the right harmony so that each woman feels radiant in what she wears.
In this collection, you see this language expressed through our signature hues, but also through the dialogue between them, from timeless black to richer, more intense tones. There is a continuity across the palette, almost like a gradient, where each colour naturally connects to the next.
YLA: Who does Elie Saab hope to reach with this collection? Do you see the breadth and diversity of H&M’s audience as an exciting opportunity?
Elie Saab Jr: H&M’s reach allows us to open the doors of our world to people who may not have experienced it before, and to offer them pieces that feel meaningful, accessible, and true to the spirit of the brand. We see this as the beginning of a dialogue with a new customer, one that is curious, diverse, and global. It is about meeting people where they are, while introducing them to the codes and identity of the house in a new way.
Elie Saab: This collaboration is very meaningful to me because it allows the house to reach a broader range of women, each with her own life, her own rhythm, and her own way of dressing. That openness feels very natural today. What has always driven my work is the desire to enhance a woman’s beauty and presence through what she wears. Here, that intention is extended to a wider audience, while staying fully aligned with the identity of the house. It is also very rewarding because I know it will resonate on both sides, with those discovering the brand for the first time, and with those who have followed it for many years.
YLA: Finally, do you have memories of previous H&M collaborations? Why did you feel this was a special project for Elie Saab to be part of?
Elie Saab Jr: We’ve followed these collaborations closely over the years. Each one brings a distinct creative voice into dialogue with a global audience, and that is what makes the format so compelling. Being part of a project with that kind of visibility and reach feels very meaningful for us. It is a collaboration that creates value on all sides – for the house, for H&M, and, above all, for the customer. That balance is what defines it as a true partnership.
Elie Saab: For me, it is something very meaningful. Each collaboration carries its own emotion, but this one feels particularly special because it opens the house to more women, in a very direct and sincere way. There is something I find very rewarding in that idea: that pieces carrying our signature can be discovered by a broader audience, while remaining true to the spirit of the house. It is a beautiful exchange, and I feel very pleased with what we have created together with H&M.
