‘I love Zuhair,’ J. Lo gushes about Lebanon’s designer to the stars
DUBAI: US superstar Jennifer Lopez is bringing her It’s My Party World Tour to Egypt on Aug. 9 and sat down for an interview with event organizer Venture Lifestyle, in which she revealed that Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad is one of her all-time favorites.
The fashion house shared a clip of the conversation on Instagram, in which interviewer Rabih Mockbel sat down with the singer-actress-dancer.
“I love Zuhair, he’s probably my favorite,” Lopez said in the interview, before going on to shed light on the moment she discovered the Lebanese talent.
“I discovered him years ago when I was doing a show somewhere. I was doing a show and I was so jetlagged and I was up in the middle of the night watching Fashion TV, which they had in this country I was in, and he had this beautiful show and I was like, ‘Who is this guy?’”
Lopez went on to explain the hurdles she faced when trying to get in touch with Murad, who doesn’t seem to have been a household name at the time.
“I came back (to the US) and I said, ‘Do you guys know Zuhair Murad?’ and nobody knew who he was, none of the stylists, nobody in the United States knew who he was. I was like, ‘You have to get me this dress for the Met Ball,” she said, referring to the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York and one of the fashion world’s most eagerly anticipated events.
“I wore his dress to the Met Ball and after that, I just started using him for everything — he designed my last tour — we just have a great relationship. He’s a beautiful man, a beautiful designer,” Lopez added.
Murad isn’t the only Lebanese designer to have caught Lopez’s eye, however.
She kicked off her world tour on June 7 with a showcase of costumes designed by the who’s who of Lebanon’s fashion scene.
The “Jenny from the Block” singer took to the stage in a variety of outfits, one of which was a neon green bodysuit by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran, which she paired with matching thigh-high boots by Lebanese shoemaker Andrea Wazen.
Lopez also performed in a sparkling blue bodysuit by Murad.
The custom-made fringed bodysuit featured dazzling blue beading, which she paired with a silky bomber jacket scattered over with deep blue rhinestones.
She is also known to be a fan of Lebanese couturier Elie Saab, having sported his gowns on many a red carpet, and even posed for People magazine’s December issue wearing a sheer dress by Lebanese designer Rami Kadi.
