More than 40 established and emerging Lebanese designers are flying all the way to Washington DC to take part in the Caravan Beirut pop-up store and showcase their talent and collections at the 4-day event (April 8-11). Caravan Beirut is a pop-up store in Washington organized by Nour Khoury and Mariana Wehbe in partnership with the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce. The initiative is also supported by the Ministry of Tourism and US Ambassador to Lebanon Richard Jones who was present at the press conference last week, which I attended.

Just to give you a small brief on Nour & Mariana, Nour Khoury is the founder of Bucolik, an online digital platform for emerging Lebanese and Middle Eastern designers while Mariana Wehbe heads MW Communication, a boutique PR Agency specializing in luxury brands, fundraising & NGO Auctions.

via Jamalouki

All the designers were personally handpicked by Mariana & Nour and products will vary from fashion to cooking, jewelry to handicrafts, to photography, home ware, architecture, and other marvels. The aim is to expose Lebanon’s treasures to a brand new market, empower Lebanese designers around the world, create more job opportunities, open a new trade route to the United States and more importantly give a brighter image of Lebanon.

House of Paisley

The venue in Washington will be conceptualized by famous Lebanese architect Rabih Geha and the food during the opening event will be offered by Kamal Mouzawak of the renowned food market Souk el Tayeb.

As for the designers taking part, they include jewelers such as “the Mukhi Sisters, André Marcha, Selim Mouzannar, Rania Farsoun, Bil Arabi, Nada Le Cavelier, and Madame Rêve. Photographers such as Patrick Baz, Emile Issa, Roger Moukarzel and Amin Sammakieh; and fashion designers such as Karoline Lang, Jessica K, Milia M, House of Paisley, Nour Hammour, La La Rose, Mojo Beach, Sarah’s Bag and Little Bluffers will also exhibit their work. Stationery from Choux à la Crème, artists like Michel Karsouny, and HR Design will present the best Lebanon has to offer, alongside home ware designers such as Bokja, Maison Tarazi, Nalbandian Carpets, Senteurs d’Orient, Rasha Ceramics, and Kanzaman”.

PS: A portion of Caravan Beirut’s proceeds will be donated to Skoun, a Lebanese non-profit organization that offers prevention and treatment to drug users.

Mukhi Sisters – Beirut Souks

I love the initiative and it would be great to see this concept travel around other American cities and different countries in the future. If you live in Washington DC, make sure to pass by and check out some of Beirut’s most talented and creative designers & artists.

Opening night: April 8, 6pm-9pm
Pop-up shop hours: April 9-11, 10am-7pm
Closing night: April 12, 6pm-8pm

Virtual visitors are also welcome to stop by Caravan Beirut online at Bucolik.com.

You can check out further info on the event [here].