- 8 hours ago
Designers in Lebanon are world renowned for their glamorous gowns. Hailey travels to Beirut to see how Syrian refugees are using their skills to transform Lebanese haute couture.
This episode of States of Undress first aired in 2017.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Hailey Gates explores global fashion and issues the industry often ignores, showing us what the world wears, and why.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
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https://youtu.be/n61y1Fr_lxE
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Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
This episode of States of Undress first aired in 2017.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Hailey Gates explores global fashion and issues the industry often ignores, showing us what the world wears, and why.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
The Streets Of The Congo Turned-Fashion Show
https://youtu.be/n61y1Fr_lxE
Is Style An Act Of Bravery In Pakistan?
https://youtu.be/ybQngyhGtZI
Fashion Defined By Borders In Palestine
SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29
Follow Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/
Follow Somos on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29somos/
Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
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LifestyleTranscript
00:04Wow, this is the biggest dress I've ever seen.
00:09How many fittings did you do?
00:35I don't know how the groom is going to fit in here. The dress is taking off about two seats.
00:41Oh no. Bye!
01:04We're in Beirut, and this is a place that I've always wanted to visit for a number of reasons.
01:09One, because this is a place where motorcycles drive.
01:17It's a place where ambulances pass. I'll try again, sorry.
01:26This has always been a liberal oasis in the Middle East, a place where the Arab world has come to
01:32indulge in everything from clubbing to haute couture.
01:36And while much of the news surrounding Lebanon is focused on conflict, it's also well known for its luxury market.
01:44High fashion here is marked by extravagance and attention to detail, and crystals. Lots and lots of crystals.
01:51While this ultra-feminine style is most coveted amongst Middle Eastern clients, it has grown in popularity worldwide thanks to
02:00designer Elie Saab.
02:01Elie Saab was the first Lebanese designer to become an international superstar, and now he's a staple on red carpets
02:09around the world.
02:10Halle Berry famously wore one of his dresses the year she won the Oscar for Best Actress.
02:16Saab's success has opened doors for other Lebanese designers to follow in his footsteps. Designers like Danny Atrej.
02:26We're going to meet Danny Atrej in his atelier. He's one of the most famous couture designers here in Lebanon.
02:34Danny Atrej is getting ready to head to Paris Fashion Week for his seventh time.
02:38So these are the looks for the Fashion Week?
02:41Yes, usually we make, like, planning for the show. We start with materials and our idea about the show.
02:49So this is going for the show.
02:51Oh, wow.
02:52This is our new collection, so...
02:55Wow. And what does she wear underneath?
02:58Nothing.
02:59Ooh-la-la.
03:00Yes.
03:02So usually Lebanese like to have embroidery.
03:04Yeah.
03:05Me, I don't like embroidery, but I love materials. Some of our materials cost, like, 2,000 euro, 3,000
03:11euro meter.
03:12Oh, my God. Can I try one on?
03:14Yes.
03:15God, this is so heavy.
03:16Yes.
03:17Oh, my God.
03:20You could fit so many things under here.
03:23I could steal a flat-screen TV in this dress.
03:28Wow, you see? What do you think? It's nice, no?
03:30Yeah, it's super nice.
03:32How do you walk in this dress?
03:36In hot couture, we need the girls walk slow, shoulders and back like this.
03:42Okay.
03:44Go back.
03:45A little bit.
03:50I don't like it.
03:51You don't like it?
03:54So is this something someone would wear to their wedding, or...?
03:58Maybe.
03:59And who is your customer?
04:01Saudi Arabia, it's the biggest market.
04:03Maybe 70%.
04:0470%.
04:06And how did Beirut become this place where the Arab world came to spend their money?
04:11We get our period maybe 1965, 70s.
04:16All the money come to Beirut because we speak Arabic.
04:19People say Lebanon was the Switzerland of the Middle East.
04:22It was famous for tourism, of course, because if you see Lebanon, and all around is deserts.
04:27So everybody was coming to Beirut.
04:29So there was a market for that, for hot couture even then?
04:32Yes.
04:32Big market.
04:33It was famous for fashion in 1970, for example.
04:37In Lebanon, we go to the beach with two-piece, you know?
04:40And all the Middle East was all closed, you know?
04:43It was like a different point in the Middle East.
04:45Like an oasis.
04:46Yes.
04:47Then in the 70s, everything came crashing down.
04:51A civil war ravaged Beirut for 15 years, and tourists stayed away.
04:56Since then, there have been booms in the market, as well as recessions and wars.
05:01Most recently, the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war that destroyed much of Lebanon's infrastructure.
05:08But even when Lebanon is not at war, it's often vulnerable to the conflict around it.
05:13Because Lebanon is a small country, only about half the size of New Jersey,
05:18the problems of its larger neighboring countries affect it greatly.
05:22And today, those problems are in Syria.
05:26For the last six years, Syria has been afflicted by a brutal civil war,
05:30forcing over a million refugees to cross the border into Lebanon.
05:34In fact, now roughly one in every five people living in Lebanon is a Syrian refugee.
05:41And a few of these refugees work here in Danny's atelier.
05:45How long have you been working here?
05:47One month.
05:48One month?
05:48Where are you from?
05:50I'm from Aleppo, Syria.
05:51Aleppo.
05:52Are many of the tailors here Syrian?
05:54Yes.
05:56Mustafa.
06:12Do you feel like it's still on the edge, like anything could happen?
06:16Yeah.
06:17You should be ready to leave maybe tomorrow.
06:19Me, I'm here for one reason.
06:20I'm here because I believe in Lebanon, because we have a lot of nice people,
06:25and we have a lot of energy to put in this country.
06:28Thank you so, so much for having me.
06:30I really appreciate it.
06:32See you when I come back.
06:34Okay.
06:35The influx of people coming to Lebanon has put a strain on the economy, which in turn affects the haute
06:41couture market.
06:42Because Danny's clients are from around the world, his label is not struggling as much.
06:47But many lesser known designers are heavily impacted by the ebb and flow of the domestic market.
06:53However, even when the country's economy is suffering, there is one luxury item that is always in high demand.
07:00The wedding dress.
07:01It seems that this is the bread and butter for most designers here.
07:06So we're here at the hotel where the wedding is going to happen, and the bride is just coming out
07:11of the elevator right now.
07:13And here are the flower girls.
07:35This dress was made by Ali Asi, a Lebanese designer.
07:39At the end of this week, he'll be participating in a local fashion showcase.
07:44Do you design many wedding dresses?
07:47Yes.
07:53It's kind of spooky.
08:04And how long does something like this take you?
08:13This is so cool.
08:18Wow.
08:21Wow, she's a lucky lady, huh?
08:30What's your name?
08:34I'm Hailey.
08:36Nice to meet you.
08:37Nice to meet you.
08:38Nice to meet you.
08:39How long have you been working here?
08:40Okay.
08:41I have about two years.
08:42Do you like living here in Lebanon?
08:44Yeah.
08:50This is our dad, the customer.
08:53I'm Hailey.
08:54Nice to meet you.
08:56How long have you been working here?
09:00Were you a tailor when you were in Syria?
09:04Yes.
09:06This is our dad?
09:10So you're trying to try to help you.
09:15I'm your designer.
09:18Yes, the tailor.
09:23Yeah, yeah, of course.
09:24I just, it's just nice to see all the people here.
09:27Okay.
09:29This way?
09:30Yeah.
09:30Okay.
09:31Thank you guys.
09:32Nice to meet you.
09:34Beautiful work.
09:37As a designer, do you feel that you're affected by the political situation here?
10:08I'm just leaving Ali Asis.
10:10You know, he's definitely working in a very similar tradition to people like Danny Atrash
10:15and Elie Saab.
10:16Obviously, he's working on a smaller scale, but this glittery hand-done work seems to be
10:23the style here.
10:24But now this is the second time that we've seen the atelier made up of refugees.
10:31I felt a little uncomfortable when he was like, can you make this about me and not about
10:35them?
10:36Because obviously, we'd like to see the whole picture and see how these things are getting
10:41made.
10:51We're in the southern suburbs of Beirut, and we are here to meet one of the designers
10:55participating in the showcase.
10:57Her name is Farah, and she has a boutique here, which is haute couture.
11:07Would you like to have a good tea?
11:09I'll have a tea.
11:09Yeah.
11:10That sounds great.
11:10My sugar is.
11:13How long have you had this store?
11:15It's been four months now.
11:17Yeah.
11:18I love the old ages.
11:20Eighties, seventies.
11:21I'm in love with that era.
11:23I love the gowns and the huge items and the thick materials.
11:27I love that.
11:28I love the princess era.
11:30And this is Cinderella dress.
11:33Oh, this is attached.
11:34Yes.
11:34Oh my God.
11:35It's ready.
11:35It's ready to wear.
11:36Ready to go.
11:37Yeah.
11:37And it's for $4,000.
11:39It's beautiful.
11:41First of all, this is a veil fashion line.
11:45They came to a point where veiled women lack to believe that they can actually look good.
11:50And some of them even lean towards taking off their veil because they do not have specific
11:55places that can serve them and can give them what they need.
11:58And surprisingly, I actually grabbed the attention of non-veiled women too.
12:03Yeah.
12:03I mean, I would wear a lot of this stuff.
12:05Yes.
12:06I mean, maybe not this, but...
12:08But yeah.
12:10I think that the velvet, the red velvet, it would be awesome on you.
12:15It brings back the royal era.
12:17Amazing.
12:18Mm-hmm.
12:20So how do you feel?
12:21I feel like Guinevere.
12:23I love these shoulders.
12:24This is the shoulders that I actually use in most of my designs.
12:28Because this is the only area that is shown.
12:31Because it would be covered just the same way that I'm covering my veil here.
12:34Hello, my friend.
12:37What do you want?
12:38What's your...
12:38What's your job?
12:40Yeah, I'm concerned with you.
12:41Where did I do it?
12:43When I said it was a job and that I thought it was so easy, but I didn't say it
12:48was a thing.
12:50But I'm saying it wasn't...
12:51So I guess mom has all the power.
12:55But I know what I'm talking about in the city.
12:58This is $4,000.
13:01Okay.
13:02What's that?
13:04It's $2,000.
13:05Okay, I can pay it to $3,000.
13:08No, I'm not sure.
13:10I can pay it.
13:10I can pay it to $3,000.
13:11I can pay it to $3,000.
13:16It's $2,800.
13:17You can't pay it to $2,200.
13:20No.
13:21I can pay it to $2,200.
13:22I can pay it to $3,000.
13:24I can pay it to $3,000.
13:27I can pay it to $3,000.
13:29I can pay it to $3,000.
13:30I can pay it to $3,000.
13:31I can pay it to $3,000.
13:34I can pay it to $3,000.
13:35That's the thing that I face every time
13:38because of this location.
13:40Once I change my location,
13:42I believe that customers in other areas
13:45would pay whatever amount I ask for.
13:47So that's why we're starting to create wedding dresses
13:50and they're upstairs.
13:51We can take a look at them.
13:58Where are you from, Osama?
14:05And were you a tailor in Syria?
14:09Oh, my God.
14:13Wow.
14:13This is my first time in the business,
14:15so I need someone that is really professional.
14:17Uh-huh.
14:17Osama is one of them.
14:18What's the most important thing
14:20that you've learned from Osama?
14:22So basically what I'm learning from him
14:24is how to create this stuff.
14:25And I was very pleased to meet him
14:27because I know that this place can offer a good salary
14:31because I met Osama through a friend of mine.
14:36And the friend actually explained
14:38the deteriorating living condition
14:40that he was living with the other designer.
14:43Of course, he cannot say that
14:45because as a Syrian refugee living in Lebanon,
14:49they're always careful of what to say
14:51and how to say it
14:52because they do not have any political support.
14:55And he's only here to make his living
14:57and feed his family.
15:01Many of the Syrian refugees
15:03who have found jobs in the fashion industry
15:05are working behind the scenes
15:07regardless of their level of experience.
15:10However, one of the participants
15:11of the upcoming show
15:12is a designer who fled Syria
15:14with his family five years ago.
15:16Today, he has an atelier of his own.
15:19I'm a designer.
15:22I'm working here as a designer.
15:24I'm a designer, as you can see.
15:27Wow.
15:28He's been working with my work
15:30and I'm helping him.
15:31Of course, I'm helping him.
15:34He's giving me a statement
15:35that I'm helping him.
15:37I'm helping him.
15:37I'm helping him as a relationship
15:39with my world,
15:41as a relationship with my family.
15:44I'm helping him.
15:45We're all in the same way.
15:45We're all in the same way.
15:46The Atelier is because...
15:48The last thing I was working with
15:49my family,
15:50a place.
15:53We're working with him.
15:55We're working with him.
15:56We decided to work
15:56and we're working with him.
15:58Do you feel that you would have been able
15:59to do this without pairing
16:01with people that are Lebanese?
16:04Do you find that there are
16:11many Syrian designers like you?
16:13They're working with them.
16:15I don't think there's someone
16:17who's working with them.
16:18I don't think there's someone
16:19who's working with them.
16:19Mm-hmm.
16:20How does this compare to stuff
16:22that you would make in Syria?
16:23Are the fashions different?
16:25Yes, of course.
16:26Now, with the same time
16:27to work here,
16:29we're feeling more tired.
16:31We're feeling more tired.
16:32We're feeling more tired.
16:33This is great.
16:33They're taking a wedding.
16:36How long does this take?
16:44Can I try?
16:46Following the line of the...
16:47OK.
16:48And then up.
16:49OK.
16:58It seems like every tailor in this country
17:01right now is Syrian.
17:02Yes, of course.
17:04Yes, of course.
17:05It's a good deal.
17:05No, I'm not sure.
17:07In Syria, there are 20 million people.
17:10For example, in Syria,
17:11not a little.
17:13Most of them came from Halep.
17:17They came here.
17:18So the Halepians are very popular
17:20in their own business.
17:22Now, in Syria,
17:23I came here,
17:24I want to buy a house,
17:25take a house,
17:26take a house,
17:27I want to live.
17:28It's a good deal.
17:29It's a good deal.
17:31It's a good deal.
17:33It's a good deal.
17:34It's a good deal.
17:35It's a good deal.
17:35It's a good deal.
17:36It's a good deal.
17:37It's a good deal.
17:37It's a good deal.
17:38While many refugees
17:39are just doing their best to survive,
17:41their willingness to work
17:42for longer hours
17:43and less pay
17:44has become contentious.
17:46So what's the most difficult thing
17:48that you're facing right now?
17:49Some business owners
17:51started firing Lebanese workers
17:55and replacing them with refugees.
17:58This created tension.
18:14We're in Beirut Souks.
18:16It's essentially a giant shopping mall.
18:18This place was built
18:19to lure tourists from the Gulf
18:20to make shopping excursions to Beirut.
18:24I feel like we should, like,
18:25make a slip and slide
18:26down this pathway.
18:33So here we are in the Souk Beirut.
18:36Souk Beirut.
18:37Souk, it's more traditional, you know?
18:40Yeah, spicy.
18:41When we go, you see Souk.
18:42Yeah, yeah.
18:42So this is a classy Souk of Beirut.
18:44Very classy Souk, yeah.
18:45And it's very expensive here.
18:47When we live here,
18:48it's like you live in Fifth Avenue.
18:51Right, right, right.
18:51Ten years ago, you cannot walk here.
18:54Really?
18:55Oh, you cannot.
18:55If you want to take a coffee, for example,
18:57you cannot have a seat to have a coffee.
18:59Really?
18:59All is reserved, reserved.
19:01You pay $500 to have a table.
19:03Oh, my God.
19:04And why do you think it's so empty now?
19:06We are affected by all the problems around us.
19:09So when everything is good around us,
19:11you are very good.
19:12Yeah.
19:12When everything is not good,
19:13you are not good.
19:14Right.
19:15This ghost town reflects the steep decrease in tourism.
19:19But it's not only the luxury market that's suffering.
19:22It has been reported that unemployment in Lebanon
19:25has more than doubled since the start of the Syrian refugee crisis.
19:29And many working-class neighborhoods are feeling the effects,
19:32such as Bourj Hamoud.
19:33Bourj Hamoud is a town famous for its abundance of clothing manufacturers
19:37and leather goods stores.
19:39And its already dense population
19:41has increased by several thousand Syrian refugees
19:44over the last six years.
19:46So we're here in Bourj Hamoud
19:49to speak to the vice president of this municipality,
19:52George Korian,
19:53to talk to him about how they're dealing
19:55with this influx of people.
19:57Hailey.
19:58I'm George, how are you?
19:58Nice to meet you.
19:59Thanks for having me.
20:00Oh, you're welcome.
20:01How's it going?
20:03Fun.
20:03Beautiful.
20:04Yeah?
20:05So what's the most difficult thing that you're facing right now?
20:09The influx of Syrian refugees started causing hardships.
20:14Those refugees needed desperately jobs
20:16to put food on the table.
20:18Uh-huh.
20:19So they were prepared to work for very low wages
20:22and for very long hours.
20:25Some business owners started firing Lebanese workers
20:31and replacing them with refugees.
20:33Because it was cheaper for them?
20:35Yes.
20:35It was just a bit better than slave labor.
20:39Now, this created tension.
20:43Many Lebanese felt frustrated.
20:45They were losing their jobs to refugees
20:47and there was no one to protect them or to help them.
20:50Even the law was not protecting them.
20:53After a string of violent clashes
20:55between locals and Syrian refugees,
20:57a curfew was put into place restricting Syrians
21:01from being on the street at any time
21:03between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.,
21:05with banners like these put up as a reminder.
21:11I know that this municipality
21:13is one of few municipalities
21:15that have decided to enforce a curfew for Syrians.
21:19Well, that is not exactly accurate.
21:23We put banners asking, asking, not ordering,
21:29asking refugees not to be around
21:33and about the public places on the streets
21:37after dark hours and until light
21:39for their own safety
21:41and to prevent any contact between young men.
21:46Uh-huh.
21:46And that was for a very short period of time,
21:49just five days.
21:51Thank you so much.
21:52I really appreciate it.
21:54You're welcome.
21:54After leaving George,
21:55we attempt to speak to a Syrian
21:57who lives in the neighborhood.
21:58Oh, my God.
22:00The cops just showed up
22:02because they don't want us
22:04to be filming in this neighborhood.
22:06They don't want us to be talking
22:07to any of the Syrians.
22:10Go.
22:10Okay.
22:11We have to go.
22:12Let's go.
22:17Because the police didn't allow us
22:18to film inside Borja Mood,
22:20we've come to another neighborhood
22:22to speak to a Syrian tailor
22:24where he feels more comfortable
22:25talking about the restrictions
22:27that are placed on Syrians.
22:31What's it like living
22:32in Borja Mood right now?
22:35It's hobby.
22:37I have to work
22:40right now.
22:41I don't know where to work.
22:43Because it's impossible
22:44to work on Syrians today
22:45after the 6th.
22:46After the 4th,
22:47the 4th,
22:48the 4th,
22:48the 4th,
22:48the 7th,
22:48the 4th,
22:49the 4th,
22:49the 4th.
22:50There are people
22:52who are not in the city.
22:54So,
22:54the 4th,
22:55the 4th,
22:57the 4th is over.
22:57One of the members
22:58of the Borja Mood municipality
23:00said to me
23:01that the curfew is over,
23:02that it was just, like, they just put the signs up for a week as a polite suggestion.
23:09And who enforces this rule that you're not allowed to be out at night?
23:14The Borosh Hamoud government?
23:31It's a slippery slope to enforce things like curfews for only one ethnicity.
23:38The Syrians, they don't necessarily want to be here.
23:41They're running away from death, and so this is their only option at this moment.
23:45Was there a particular moment when you felt like it was so unsafe that you didn't have another option?
24:00Nice pick.
24:06Gadir was able to open his own atelier in Beirut
24:10five years after fleeing the Syrian city of Daraa with his family.
24:14He is just one of the million-plus refugees living in Lebanon that had to flee their homes.
24:19In 2011, the Arab Spring saw democratic uprisings that toppled the presidents of Egypt and Tunisia.
24:26Feeling optimistic about their power for change, peaceful protesters took to the streets of Syria as well.
24:32The Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, responded by killing and detaining protesters.
24:39A rebel group in opposition was then formed, thus beginning the Syrian civil war.
24:44The war has become a political quagmire, with multiple nations getting involved.
24:50Some under the guise of fighting ISIS, which took advantage of the chaos and formed vast strongholds in the north
24:56and east.
24:57Unarmed civilians have bared the brunt of the violence, including chemical attacks many believe were conducted by Assad.
25:05Over 11 million Syrians have been displaced, more than a million injured, and almost half a million killed.
25:12Always remains as common as Lady of With Usar al-Assad,banes, whom shall respect Owamae Yaas, or Atkirq.
25:16I don't know this criminally, but I bore my children to share that.
25:21I hope to maintain our children.
25:24I think there must come and return our children outside two years from now.
25:28You will 만들 in a field on Estadraa, where you have a field of being promised.
25:41There were trees and trees, and I love the nature.
25:46Is there a nature where you live now?
25:49Not a lot.
25:50Not really.
25:52Was there a particular moment when you felt like it was so unsafe
25:55that you didn't have another option?
25:58Yes, of course.
25:59The last thing we saw was a torture in the house.
26:04I was working with my family and my children in the house.
26:09So the torture began and came out of the house.
26:13Then came out of the house, and then came out of the house.
26:17Yes, I also came out of the house, and I noticed that.
26:20I was worried about it.
26:22We stayed in the morning and came out of the house with four families.
26:30We went to another area, and we took a job.
26:35We left everything, and we came to Lebanon.
26:39We're trying to teach them, to teach them, to make their own life.
26:55Do you want to go back?
27:03When do you think you'll be able to?
27:16It's really gnarly to imagine these design houses that are made up of tailors
27:24that each have a story like this.
27:27I mean, I think the other thing that's hard to imagine at this point is,
27:31you know, compared to a lot of refugees in this country,
27:36they have a pretty good situation.
27:38He's a designer, and he's really made a life for his family,
27:42and they feel maybe as grounded as they can feel here.
27:50We are traveling two hours outside of Beirut to the Syrian border,
27:54which is the entry point for many Syrian refugees
27:57as they first leave their country.
28:01There's over a million refugees that have made it into Lebanon from Syria,
28:05and the majority of them have settled in the Bekaa Valley.
28:09Because the vast majority of people killed or detained were men,
28:14almost three-quarters of the refugee population are women and children.
28:19Before fleeing, many of these women did not work.
28:22Others lost their degrees in the destruction, or had to drop out of school.
28:27Now they're struggling to provide for their families, often for the first time.
28:33I'm here at Basmat, which is a training center that was started by a woman named Majid.
28:38She teaches women basic training in hair and makeup,
28:43and different ways in which they can earn a living.
28:58Is she the teacher?
29:00Hi, I'm Hailey.
29:01Nice to meet you.
29:02I'm Hailey.
29:03I'm Hailey.
29:04She works at the center.
29:07Om Hailey and her daughters trained at Majid's center,
29:11and now they have a makeshift hair salon in their tent at the refugee camp.
29:15How's it going, guys?
29:24You have to rent this tent?
29:26Yeah, yeah.
29:28How much is it?
29:29100,000 in Lebanon.
29:32Unlike other neighboring countries,
29:34Lebanon does not have a formal refugee program,
29:37and therefore does not oversee these settlements.
29:40Instead, private Lebanese citizens rent out this land,
29:43which leaves refugees vulnerable to unregulated prices and no security.
29:48How old are you?
29:5023.
29:51My first class is geography.
29:54But I didn't know how to continue.
29:55I came out from the West before I finished,
29:57and I didn't know how to finish.
29:58Will there be an opportunity for you to continue school here in Lebanon?
30:07What do you think?
30:08Because there's no water, there's no water, there's no water.
30:13There's no water.
30:14It's nothing like that.
30:18If you can go back, will you go back?
30:22I'm sure.
30:23This camp is really close to Syria.
30:26Does it ever make you nervous to be on the border like this?
30:30No.
30:31I feel comfortable.
30:33I feel comfortable.
30:34I feel comfortable.
30:34All my family are in Syria.
30:39After the Syrian woman, the Syrian woman is a very strong woman.
30:43The woman is more interested in this movement.
30:45I feel comfortable.
30:46Yeah.
30:46Majid's center offers more than training in hair and cosmetology.
30:51They have language studies, computer lessons, and provide much-needed psychological support
30:56for women and children.
30:58Because of her advocacy work, Majid was awarded the International Women of Courage Award from the United States.
31:06Majid was living in Daraa, the city where Gadir and his family are from.
31:10She and her husband were among the first organizers of the peaceful protests.
31:17Majid was shot away at home.
31:22In
31:47It was a very fast way.
31:49I remained three months ago, because it was not safe.
31:52When I came to the next year, I didn't give up.
31:56Every day, I would be able to get rid of them.
32:03I started to say that I didn't speak first,
32:09so they didn't leave me.
32:12I think that my experience was very good.
32:15It wasn't difficult and nice at all,
32:18but it was something that I told myself a lot.
32:21They knew that the day when the Assad will die,
32:25and we will go back to Syria
32:27and if we don't have a place,
32:28we will go back to our land.
32:33I am focused on the people,
32:35because I see the people there
32:37will be a lot of work
32:38and it will be a lot of work
32:39and it will be a lot of work
32:47Majid has been able to turn her trauma into conviction.
32:52However, not everyone in Lebanon
32:54shares her point of view.
33:01Are you okay?
33:03What are you nervous about?
33:05I don't know.
33:10We're going to speak to a young Hezbollah fighter
33:12who's just come back from Syria.
33:13He has not asked Hezbollah for permission to talk to us.
33:18What is the ultimate goal of a Hezbollah fighter?
33:26How old are you?
33:36Hezbollah?
33:37And what is Hezbollah?
33:43How powerful is Hezbollah within Lebanon?
33:47Hezbollah is one of the most powerful political groups in Lebanon.
33:53Hezbollah formed as a vigilante army in the 80s
33:56in order to fight Israel who is occupying southern Lebanon.
34:00Since then, they have grown into one of the most powerful political groups in Lebanon.
34:04Today, Hezbollah troops are fighting in Syria
34:07alongside the army in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
34:12Due to their use of guerrilla warfare and anti-American views,
34:16they have earned a spot on the U.S. foreign terrorist list.
34:21Why did Hezbollah start fighting in Syria?
34:28And were you there for the fall of Aleppo?
34:31Yes.
34:33And if Hezbollah wasn't fighting in Syria,
34:36what do you think the state of Lebanon would be right now?
34:47What neighborhood did you grow up in?
35:05In 2006, a month-long war between Hezbollah and Israel
35:09resulted in almost total annihilation of the suburb of Dahe.
35:14Hezbollah eventually rebuilt the infrastructure
35:17and now has strict control of the area.
35:21Dahe is also where Farah lives and has her atelier.
35:24I'm meeting her at her local shisha bar.
35:27Were you here during the war in 2006?
35:30Of course, I was here with my family.
35:32It's a thing that the Lebanese people here suffered a lot from.
35:35Israelis have no boundaries, inhumane acts.
35:39A lot of blood was shed, houses were destroyed.
35:42Farah is an outspoken supporter of Hezbollah.
35:46In fact, Farah's foray into fashion is fairly recent.
35:49She made a name for herself by hosting pro-Hezbollah propaganda shows.
35:55Unlike Syria, Israel is suspected to have a stockpile of chemical weapons.
35:59We became an ideology or a role model for how the resistance acts.
36:04Even our children today, they're born speaking about defense
36:08and about how to be strong and how to be courageous.
36:12It's in their blood.
36:13Our men are doing an amazing work on the ground.
36:16And I feel safer because I know that these extremists cannot penetrate
36:21or cannot go into the Dahi suburbs.
36:24And that by itself is a comfort.
36:26And who are Hezbollah fighting with in Syria?
36:29Extremists, of course.
36:31They're fighting against extremists?
36:33Of course, against them next to the Syrian army.
36:35I see. In support of Assad?
36:39Of course, in support of Assad.
36:49But here in Lebanon, fashion designers will not speak politics, Hayley.
36:53Really?
36:54No, they won't speak politics.
36:55No way.
36:56But you feel protected.
36:58I feel comfortable because that's who I am.
37:00I'm not going to be changing.
37:01Yeah.
37:01It's what I believe in.
37:03And when you believe in what you believe in, then you're strong.
37:06So in nearly every atelier that I've been to here, there has been a Syrian working behind the scenes.
37:12Yes, exactly.
37:13The Syrian crisis played the positive role on Lebanon when it comes to grabbing all these talented tailors to Beirut.
37:24And they're willing to work for you with very cheap prices.
37:28But Osama is treated in a very nice way at the atelier.
37:32And as a Muslim, that's how you treat other people, of course.
37:35Osama has four children.
37:36Two children out of the four children.
37:38They left their schools and they're working to help their father, too.
37:43But alhamdulillah that I have the chance to help him.
37:46So it's a mutual benefit here.
37:51I don't know. This place is so complicated.
37:54It's like, it's dizzying, you know, and not just because I smoked shisha for an hour.
37:59Yes, it's true. She's giving him a job and she's helping him put food on the table for his kids.
38:04But at the same time, because she's in support of Hezbollah, she's in support of the Assad regime in Syria,
38:11which has just decimated Aleppo, the place that he comes from.
38:21All of these people live in a country that is the size of Connecticut, that have such disparate ideas about
38:28Lebanon, Syria, the Middle East in general.
38:31It just feels hot. It feels like a pressure cooker.
38:36Uh-oh. Something's happening.
38:40A suicide bomber tried to detonate.
38:47Uh-oh. Something's happening.
38:50Oh, my God. Someone's going to get accidentally shot.
38:54We're on Hamra Street in downtown Beirut.
38:57A suicide bomber tried to detonate, but the Lebanese intelligence shot him in the arm before he was able to
39:04do it.
39:04Apparently, he was in contact with the Islamic State in Raqqa.
39:11It's a little spooky.
39:14To plan an attack on this street feels like an attack on Western consumerism,
39:20because it's kind of like that Broadway Nowheresville street,
39:24where it's like in every city there's one of these streets with a Costa Coffee and an H&M and
39:29a Starbucks.
39:30You know, it's like a shopping mall street.
39:31Oh, my God.
39:33If it's like they're on the side of the country,
39:35if they're attacking the economy and they're attacking Lebanon,
39:41I'm a very short view of the country because Lebanon is a good place.
39:44I'm a very short view of the country.
39:47I'm a very short view of Lebanon.
39:50I'm a big view of Lebanon in the best places of his country.
39:54We were working together, and then we're working together.
39:57We're working together because this is not a good job.
40:01We live in Lebanon, we live in Lebanon.
40:37Today is the fashion showcase where Gadeer, Ali and Farah will be presenting their designs
40:43on a small stage in Farah's atelier.
40:49Look at this.
40:55Hi Osama, how are you?
40:59When did you start making that dress?
41:03Oh my God.
41:06You only need an hour?
41:10Amazing.
41:11Well, good luck.
41:12I won't stand in your way.
41:15Farah.
41:16It's so beautiful.
41:20Which of the designers are you most excited about?
41:23I'm excited to try the hijab.
41:25Really?
41:25The first time that I work with a designer that designs this type of dolls.
41:33How are you feeling?
41:35Oh please, Nanja.
41:38Oh my God.
41:40The princess.
41:42That dress looks so good.
41:43Thank you so much.
41:45We're almost ready for the show.
41:47And actually I was just telling my team that it's a beautiful thing to prove to people how Lebanese designers
41:53cooperate together.
41:53I mean this is my atelier but I'm so happy hosting another fashion designer which is Ali Asi and other
41:59fashion designers.
42:00I think it's the largest approval of this Lebanese cooperation in the world of fashion design.
42:13I guess we're ready for the show.
42:14That looks so great.
42:16That looks so great.
42:24Ali?
42:26Ali?
42:29Ali.
42:30Ali?
42:32Ali?
42:33Ali?
42:50I think that everything that we have seen in Lebanon was reflected on the world of fashion design and what
42:55we are doing.
42:55on that runway.
43:01Yet despite their seemingly conflicting backgrounds
43:04and political ideologies,
43:06these designers have found a way to come together.
43:10There are now over 5 million Syrian refugees around the world.
43:14Lebanon has taken in over a million of them.
43:18The U.S. has only taken in about 18,000.
43:21And while Lebanon is still struggling
43:23to accommodate this influx of Syrian refugees,
43:26as I come home,
43:28it's clear that the United States is dealing with it
43:31in a very different way.
43:35The exact day I landed back in America,
43:38the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
43:40enacted an executive order issued by Donald Trump,
43:43now commonly referred to as the Muslim Ban,
43:47which intended to bar visitors
43:48from seven Muslim-majority countries
43:50and ban all Syrian refugees
43:53from entering the United States.
43:55Indefinitely.
43:57Refugees are welcome here!
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