Jad Hobeika: “I've understood the power of the garment.”
In 1995, the couturier Georges Hobeika opened the doors of his atelier in Lebanon, the very year his son Jad was born. The House and the child have grown side by side, nurtured by one same love for beauty and craftsmanship. Today, as co-artistic director with his father, Jad perpetuates the expertise of this independent House, while bringing his own vision to an exceptional legacy.
The House's Paris showroom is a luminous, refined setting where the exhibited pieces take centre stage. Embroidery, the House's technical signature, adorns the tweeds, silks and chiffons. Jad Hobeika, wearing baggy jeans and oversized blazer ensemble, radiates a disconcerting modernity in the midst of these fabulous embroidered garments. Yet underneath that laid-back air and shy smile lies a mind that is constantly abuzz, fuelled by an ongoing pursuit of meaning and excellence. A graduate of the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, which has since merged with the Institut Français de la Mode, he joined the Maison Georges Hobeika in 2019 at the age of 24. He was officially announced as co-creative director alongside his father, Georges Hobeika, in June 2022.
This Spring-Summer 2025 Couture collection stands as an intimate tribute and reflection on family, transmission and renewal. “My grandmother, Marie Hobeika, passed away a few months ago,” confides Jad. “She was a very important person in our family, the one who used to bring us together. She was the one who taught my father how to sew!” The very notion of togetherness is here fundamental. “The collection speaks of death in the sense of renewal, as a doorway to something else. From slumber to light, marvellous creatures rise to celestial heights. I want to picture death as a journey.” For the Hobeikas, the word “House” takes on its full meaning. It is the place that brings people together, that protects them, where loved ones grow and develop alongside each other. “Sometimes the people we've lost have been so central to our lives that they're always there with us.”
“When I was a child, I was constantly drawing. And I never stopped.”
Jad took his first steps between his father's sketches, the fabrics, the colours, the meticulous embroidery work. “My father used to show me his drawings all the time and I was so impressed. I couldn't understand how he could make such a perfect sketch so quickly.” A quiet child in his own bubble, Jad freely developed his artistic sensibilities. “I was in my own fantasy, fascinated by shiny things and glitter, in my own world.” A freedom that can also be found in his father's work. “My father is an avant-gardist. In the 90s and 2000s, in the Middle East, he showed a daring sensuality that was both dignified and elegant. It was still rare at the time.”
From a very young age, Jad had a front row seat in the studio, as an attentive observer, then developed his eye and intuition and began to participate in the design process of the collections. “I’ve understood the power of the garment. What certain pieces can make you feel, when you create them, when you wear them.”
“The key is to respect the DNA of the House.”
The role of co-artistic director implies a necessary collaboration with the father, which happens naturally. “We have to understand each other,” explains Jad. “I get bored quickly, I'm impatient, but I understood that process is at the heart of everything It comes from a feeling, and then the collection takes shape. As a co-creator, the most important thing is to respect the brand's DNA and add my vision to it.”
The House also launched its ready-to-wear line four years ago. “In the ready-to-wear collections, I feel freer. If I was just listening to myself, if I was designing under my own name, maybe I wouldn't use embroidery, but I have to respect the legacy.” This creative space allows him to play with more modern lines and more casual silhouettes, while preserving the high standards of quality and detail that characterise the Hobeika. “We expect a fashion house with such an heritage to also offer exceptional quality in its ready-to-wear.” Strengthened by thirty years of history and aligned with the expectations and tastes of its clientele, the House is, with Jad, propelled into the future. Georges Hobeika's loyal customers come from all over the world, attracted by the authenticity, quality and exclusivity of its creations.
“A fashion show must make you dream, create a world, tell a story.”
According to Jad, a fashion show is much more than a simple presentation of clothes; it must transport the spectator, offering total immersion in a unique universe. He recalls landmark shows such as those by Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli or some iconic collections of Tom Ford at Gucci, shows that plunge you into a coherent universe where every detail is designed to tell a story. “This is what luxury is all about,” he emphasises, expressing the importance of creating a global vision, a narrative in which the audience can connect.
On the Official Calendar of Haute Couture Week since January 2017, Georges Hobeika is an independent entity where everything gets done in-house, from conception to confection. The atelier in Lebanon now employs 200 people. “We're going to move soon, we're too crowded” Jad says, smiling. The House embodies the very essence of Couture: an exceptional know-how that is shared and proudly passed down.
Reuben Attia.