Renaissance Renaissance

Third-generation Beirut couturier Cynthia Merhej opened Renaissance Renaissance in 2016 between her family's atelier and a Paris showroom. The house makes immaculately constructed dresses — corseted bodices, painterly florals, transparent silk organza — entirely in Lebanon, working with the same artisans her mother employed. In 2021 Merhej became the first Arab woman shortlisted for the LVMH Prize, then again in 2025, while sales steered the brand through Beirut's economic collapse.