Nour Hage

Early life

Hage grew up between Beirut and Saudi Arabia, and moved to Paris aged 18 to study fashion design at Parsons Paris School of Art and Design (since renamed Paris College of Art). She graduated in 2010.

Career

After graduating from Parsons, Hage went on to work for Paris-based Croatian-German designer Damir Doma. Working with him and seeing the success he managed at a young age pushed her to start her own brand. Since launching her brand in 2013, she has released two collections, Blao (AW 13) and Kurkuma (SS14).

She also teaches a knitting course at The Creative Space, a free education space in Beirut launched by fellow Parsons graduate Sarah Hermez. In 2014, Hage was featured as one of the ten up-and-coming designers in Lebanon during the Newcomer’s Exhibit at Beirut Design Week.

Hage often states that her style is heavily influenced by the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic & philosophy, the belief that things shouldn’t be perfect, which can be seen in the asymmetry of her designs, and the materials and textiles she uses. She has been noted for her artisanal approach and the craftsmanship of her pieces.

In May 2015, Nour Hage was listed amongst the 5 Lebanese designers reshaping the Beirut fashion scene by CNN, who noted that "Hage's designs diverge from the pretty, polished effect that many Lebanese women prefer." The fellow designers listed were Bashar Assaf, Krikor Jabotian, Timi Hayek and Lara Khoury.

Design awards

In November 2014, Hage was awarded the prestigious Boghossian Foundation Prize which includes a monetary grant and a residency at the foundation's headquarters at the Villa Empain in Brussels. The jury unanimously selected Nour Hage because “she works [her] fabric with much precision and preciosity.”

Personal life

Hage is married to British-Lebanese author & publisher Nasri Atallah.