Johnny Farah, well-known designer, has collaborated with Joe Kesrouani for an interactive project that launched today, the 26th of June 2012. The event is part of the first Beirut Design Week, running from the 26th to the 28th June, 4pm until 8pm in his Saifi Village boutique.
The project is a whimsical take on freedom of social behavior in society and how liberating it is to express yourself when given the chance. It is an interactive event where people are photographed with a bag covering their face, making them unidentifiable and giving them the opportunity to reveal their true identity through physical movement.
“The more distant and distinct the relationship between the two realities, of a person with a bag on the head and without, that are brought together, the more powerful the image” described Joe. The photographs will then be made into a movie, collaged into a still picture and printed on Johnny Farah bags. These will be displayed at a follow up event.
“We’re thrilled that we have managed to secure such high caliber names for our collaborations. We are really trying to do something exciting and make each one unique” said Rebecca Carnell, event coordinator.
The event, which is being held at the Johnny Farah Saifi boutique, is the second in a series of artist collaborations, the first being a partnership with Jean Marc Nahas. Additional designers in the series will be announced individually in advance of each launch. Running in conjunction with the Joe Kesrouani event, Johnny Farah will be hosting a bag making workshop for the duration of Beirut Design Week. The workshop will be held in the Saifi boutique and will take approximately an hour. Please contact the store on +961-1 974 808 or check the Johnny Farah Facebook page for more details.
Johnny Farah
Lebanese designer Johnny Farah's accessories have been seen on Carla Bruni, Halle Berry, Janet Jackson and Jennifer Aniston as well as featured in the 2001 movie “Kate and Leopold”. Designer Johnny Farah's pieces are designed and manufactured in Lebanon, making Johnny Farah one of the only entirely local accessory brands in the country. His line of accessories can be bought at the Johnny Farah concept store is located in Saifi Village, and the label is also sold worldwide, with retailers in Europe, USA, the Middle East, Asia and online.
The leather goods are designed for both men and women. The collection is made up of two lines, the Johnny Farah line, which is partly machine stitched and the JF 37 37 line, which is completely handmade. Leather and brass hardware is custom made for every single item, and the result is a set of unique pieces belonging to a collection of meticulous craftsmanship and a distinct signature style. The accessories are molded from premium quality vegetable-tanned hides. This tanning process preserves the natural beauty of the leather. The hardware is made from hand-molded high quality solid brass that ages beautifully, giving more character to the piece.
Johnny has also worked and lived in Beirut, New York and Istanbul. He opened his first IF store in Beirut and in the late 70s he started another outlet in New York. His IF stores stock products from some of the world’s most highly acclaimed designers and continue to play a distinct role in the New York fashion scene. Today, Johnny owns five IF shops in Beirut, New York and Dubai in addition to his Johnny Farah flagship store in Beirut.
Johnny believes strongly in Lebanese artisans and their work, moving all his production from Turkey to Lebanon. This has enabled him to support the community, creating jobs and boosting the local economy. From 1990 to 1994, Johnny launched and developed Donna Karan and Donna Karan Man lines of handbags and belts. Johnny now lives and works in Beirut where he also owns an organic farm and 2 restaurants in which he frequently cooks and creates dishes.
3 and 7 are his lucky numbers.
Joe Kesrouani
Joe was born in Beirut in 1968. He studied architecture in Paris and is self-taught in painting and photography. Joe has enjoyed international success, participating in both solo and group exhibits in Beirut, Dubai, London and Paris. He currently resides in Beirut where he divides his time between painting and photography.
Though Kesrouani is quintessentially Beiruti, his work allows no easy classification in terms of Arab or Middle Eastern representation. His work actively breaks clichés, rather than reinforcing them. As such, the world created by Kesrouani’s paintings is a world entirely of his own imagination. It is a world nearly busting it seams with pleasure and danger alike, where everything goes and nothing is exactly as it seems.
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