Prestige issue 262, May 2015
Precursor of a contemporary Haute Couture
Basil Soda, a self-made man and international designer. © Archives Basil Soda
At 47, the Lebanese designer Basil Soda had everything to be happy. Nicknamed «Couturier of the stars», like Katy Perry, Emily Blunt and Marion Cotillard, or «one of the best Lebanese signatures on the red carpet», he has built his international reputation and earned his place in the big names arena. Skill, rigor, freedom, talent and exemplary magnanimity animated this self-taught designer who was also a happy man, surrounded by his family: Denise, his wife, «my benevolent angel,» Jad his only son, «my beloved.» Also by his family: the team of 25 craftsmen and small hands, «a treasure», who work to materialize the dresses of his dreams, in the eponymous House of contemporary Haute Couture in Beirut, that he founded in 2000. In this building of over 800m2 as functional as prestigious, his «sanctuary», he welcomed customers and orchestrated the vibrant work with his feelings, his sensitivity, his freedom and his talent.
Winter 2004-2005 Haute Couture Collection. © Archives Basil Soda
But the disease got hold of the charismatic person full with life and enthusiasm. The «master of his time» has escaped time. Death has taken Basil Soda early. Before his death, he was in one of his last pictures in dark glasses visibly emaciated, dressed in style in a design jacket and gray scarf, and … smiling. His creations spread all over the world, and his name will remain in the memory of all who knew and loved him, and all who have admired his creations. The collection of ready-to-wear autumn-winter 2015-2016, the last on which Basil Soda has worked, will be presented in mid-May in Dubai. And the continuation of the house is ensured by the team of designers and craftsmen, guided by the spirit of Basil Soda…
The bride has always had a special place in the Lebanese designer collections. Photo of the bride Haute Couture summer 2015. © Archives Basil Soda
«I have always felt free to create my own designs. Nobody ever told me what to do: I have always been able to express myself freely and control my creations» Basil Soda.
The ready-to-wear autumn-winter 2013-2014 collection photographed by Jihad Hojeily for Prestige. The serie was published in the December / January 2013-2014 issue. © Prestige/ photo: Jihad Hojeily.
Architecture and fashion are closely related in the creations of Basil Soda. His first passion for fashion was encouraged seriously from an early age with his father, men’s fashion designer. After studying architecture, fashion design and modeling in Lebanon, a rewarding stay in the Arabian Peninsula and four years with Elie Saab, he launched in 2000 his own couture house. In 2010, he presented a line of ready-to-wear for ceremonies and special occasions. A modern and contemporary vision of the designer made in a collection «From morning until evening» dedicated to the active and dynamic woman to be elegant all the time.
