If in Lebanon, you might spot a woman or two wearing necklaces made with old pendants, ribbon and chains and wish you could be bold enough to ask where it’s from. Or perhaps, you might inquisitively wonder to yourself, whether that small bag embroidered with colorful beaded threads and pearls she’s carrying has been passed down by a very cool grandmother.
Should you ask, she will most likely answer you that she’s purchased it from Madame Rêve, a Lebanese brand based in Beirut that has cultured a strong following of women who love vintage clothes and jewelry but prefer to wear pieces that are more suitable for contemporary wear.
Today, they have a small boutique located in the up and coming neighborhood of Mar Mikhael, once a neighborhood for mechanics and electricity shops, neighbors now include other trendy and artistically creative Lebanese designers and outlets such as Lina Audi of Liwan, restaurant Tawleh and the Paper Cup bookstore.
Madame Rêve didn’t start off as a jewelry brand; it was an attempt by founders Hala Mouzannar and Lina Chammaa to tap into the then rising trend and craze for vintage clothes that had started in England and the US and was making its way over to the Middle East.
An initial pop up sale at Beirut’s famed BO18 nightspot in September 2004 was successful, but then, “We realized the limitations of vintage clothing, and the Middle Eastern mentality of seeing it as worn goods,” says Chammaa who along with Mouzannar spoke exclusively to Daily News Egypt while in Paris during the Tranoï trade show last month.
Sourcing vintage clothes in Lebanon to resell was also a difficulty, but the two women were keen on creating a joint venture that could still be based on the concept of vintage but “set in a contemporary way, making it attractive to contemporary women.”
Today, they design necklaces mostly, but also bracelets and small purses that incorporate embellishments and details of vintage pendants, beads and chains sourced from old flea markets and the like in London and New York, added along with new items such as silk Japanese ribbons from Mokuba in New York. With each sourced item or decorative element being unique, each hand-made piece is one of a kind.
“We want people to dream of the past, present and future. We’re using an element of the past in the present,” says Chammaa. Thus apropos their brand’s name Madame Rêve is taken from a song by Alain Bashung.
Yet the novelty of the brand’s designs is two-fold: the usage of old flea market finds along with lace ribbons, fur and other items currently in trend charmingly blending old and new together, as well as creating designs each season that compliment and are in line with catwalk trends.
“It’s a challenge every season to come up with something new, but yet, that’s classic and timeless,” says Mouzannar.
The brand is every woman’s dream. There’s a wide range of variety in their designs and a little something for every woman. Best of all, they tap into that curiosity of women — particularly Middle Eastern women where family culture is such that women painstakingly preserve old family heirlooms to pass from one generation to the next — to wear something old with heavy hints of nostalgia without it being out of context.
Each line is given a charmingly playful name and they are many: “Itsy”, thin chains with two vintage pendants at most hanging; “Candy” with numerous ribbons, colorful pendants and assorted paraphernalia “like bonbons”, says Mouzannar; and “Scarlett”, a line that’s more classic with pearls and studs. These are but three lines that have attracted the attention of buyers’ at Paris’ Tranoï trade fair. There were short bib-shaped cloth necklaces, and small evening purses encrusted with beads, crystals and buttons set out on stands. The effect was a magpie’s smorgasbord: the glint and gleam so pretty and distracting to buyers and reporters.
The women of Madame Rêve could hardly sit down as they juggled taking orders and buyers who were fawning over their baubles and bags excitedly, some even asking to buy items on the spot for themselves.
How do the designers though wish to see their jewelry being worn?
“I’d like them to think of it as an item they’d wear with a white shirt and jeans while grocery shopping or to a wedding because it’s the necklace that determines how one wears it, and sets the stage for how it shows on the wearer.”
Prices are dictated by cost, ranging from $60 to $800.
Address: 52nd Street, Gholam Stairs, Tamraz Building, 1st floor, Beirut, Lebanon.
Telephone: +961-3-728654
www.madamereve.net
[email protected]
Designers Hala Mouzannar and Lina Chamaa are the creative talent behind Lebanese vintage accessories brand Madame Rêve.
The Isola Cameo necklace.
The Papaya Margeuritte purse has been handmade and embellished with vintage material and flower buttons to create a charming purse for either day or night.
Loop necklace has delicate chiffon flowers set on vintage chains.
