CHARLES HADDAD

Age: 22
Hometown: Beirut, Lebanon
School and Year: Fashion Institute of Technology, 4th semester


What is fashion to you? Fashion is my form of escape; it is my art, the way I express myself, my state of mind, my emotions, and a getaway from the rollercoaster of life. Just like an artist who paints a canvas, designers decorate garments, or like a sculptor who carves, designers manipulate the human body into magnificent forms. I consider myself a painter and a sculptor, even though I have the knowledge to do neither; the difference is that my medium of choice is fabric. My passion comes from seeing the final result of a concept and how it is translated onto a body rather than on paper. Anyone can draw an interesting sketch or design, but if it is not executed properly into a 3D form, then that beautiful drawing is just that, a drawing. When it comes to my design aesthetic, I have come to realize that it is not about a 'pretty' dress; the word 'pretty' to me has a negative connotation when being used to describe my work. If my work does not evoke emotion upon first glance then I have failed as an artist. It is about conveying a story, what I like to call fashion poetry.

Collection: "Requiem for Beirut" - The story behind this collection came about when I was visiting my family in Lebanon in 2006. I am Lebanese and was raised in Beirut until my family moved to the States just before high school. It had been 4 years since I had been back to my country so I decided to take a trip with my mother to see my family. Little did I know it would not be a typical family vacation but a living nightmare.

It was a beautiful summer on the Mediterranean... There was a lot of political turmoil going on in the region during that time and no one thought it was worthy of a war, but we were mistaken. Our first instinct was to evacuate but that would not be an easy task and the things that I witnessed during that time will be ingrained in my memory forever. The kind of footage that you see on TV of far away countries with people suffering in a hopeless war is only footage. My parents used to tell me about the war in the 1970s that they lived through, and how many of my own family members were killed fighting for their freedom. The reason my parents immigrated to the USA was because of this war. These series of events impacted my family’s life tremendously, and has led me to where I am today.

I have such an appreciation for everything and life after being put through such a fearful situation that summer of 2006. It is an experience that has and will affect me forever and it is my experience that I would like to share with the world through my collection. There is a lot of symbolism behind each piece that I hope people will be able to process in their own way, and hopefully each person will be able to take something away from each piece and the collection as a whole.

I extracted the color story from shades of reds, blacks and hints of gold’s, from the smoke that erupts after an explosion hits the ground. Some of the shapes were influenced from the smoke as well with the flowing layers of chiffon and crepe georgette. I want to emulate every stage of an explosion from when it emerges to when it disappears. I want to convey the idea of destruction and all of the damage that my country went through. Some of the silhouettes were inspired by my culture’s folkloric attire. Other shapes, came from images of martyrs, and that is when I started playing with the human anatomy, and dissecting it.

I want to dedicate this to my country and all the people who suffered through these tragic times, especially my family. This collection is a minor “thank you” to them, for all that they have done and endured. I want to open people’s eyes and make them realize that there’s a whole other world out there, where people live in fear everyday not knowing if it is safe to leave their own home. This is my story, and my collection. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed designing it.

What/who inspires you? Anything or anyone can be a form of inspiration. Inspiration doesn't only come from my surroundings but at times I like to pull from my own personal experiences to portray how I felt at a certain time in my life. Sometimes searching for inspiration can be as easy as looking on the inside, to fuel those creative juices. One thing that I always tend to lean towards when looking for inspiration is juxtaposition. I enjoy designing a collection that has more than one source of inspiration that usually contradict each other in one way or another. I find the contradiction to be very interesting and the results quite appealing.

What does Fusion mean to you? Fusion means freedom of expression. It means that I can get a taste of the fashion world before becoming a permanent resident in this whirlwind of an industry. I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to conceptualize and create a full collection that will be displayed in a proper manner. This collection is very dear to my heart and Fusion came along at just the right time to help me portray my experience and raise awareness to what is happening in the region.


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