Zuhair Murad's Spring-Summer 2025 Haute Couture Collection presented at the Pozzo di Borgo Hotel in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. (Credit: Julien de Rosa/AFP)
Zuhair Murad is one of those visionaries — an architect of dreams who brings sparkle to the lives of others. An indefatigable arbiter of elegance and a favorite on the Cannes and Hollywood red carpets, as well as at major ceremonies across the Arab world, he is no stranger to accolades.
On Jan. 19, he received the prestigious Honorary Award at the Joy Awards in Riyadh, during the event’s fourth edition — an ambitious blend of the Grammys, Emmys and Oscars, organized by the Saudi Entertainment Authority. The award recognized his outstanding contributions and lasting influence on the fashion industry.
With each new collection, Murad, a dreamer and world creator, transports his audience into ever-evolving yet unmistakably familiar worlds. He envisions young women savoring the most enchanting of holidays, somewhere between a fairy tale and an awakening to love — some as heiresses preparing for a grand ball in an old château, others as ethereal nymphs basking on sun-drenched shores, sea spray at their feet, or those who, with a flick of a tarot card, peer into a future filled with whispered promises. For his spring-summer 2025 haute couture collection, unveiled on Jan. 29 at the storied Hotel Pozzo di Borgo in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Murad once again spins a dream — this time set against a pristine backdrop.
They are flowers, they are fruits, they are vines and palms
It would be an island at the edge of the world — an unclaimed island— far from the confines of urban jungles and tamed landscapes. It would be a dress that evokes infinite horizons, uncharted landscapes, and, to celebrate them, wild revelries where nature alone sets the rhythm. A distant drumbeat echoes as the sun sinks into a tropical dusk, the surreal beauty of the scene heightened by the arrival of a woman, then another, and more. In harmony with this untouched, primal world, they become flowers, fruits, vines and palms.
Like inverted corollas, their corsets extend into delicate, rounded petals — twisted, crumpled, as if still cocooned in slumber — unfurling with the movement of the dance.
Innocent knots rest almost haphazardly on figures and in hair, like couture butterflies whispering of lightness, freshness, a childhood not yet distant. A desire to embrace life fully — offering it the brilliance of an unrestrained smile.
This is wildlife reimagined through Murad’s singular vision of elegance — a world where luminous transparencies, embroidered crystals and whispered romantic dialogues between silk and skin take center stage. A mastery of craftsmanship that breathes life into dreams, sketching the curves of a body within them.
The models appear almost sculpted from raw crystal, shimmering like water, glowing like embers. Opulent bouquets of mineral flowers spill from the corseted bodice of a black cady gown, cascading over the skirt in lavish abundance. Elsewhere, blooms seem to pour from a cornucopia, tattooing intricate embroidery onto a short dress, its silk tulle train scattered with floral gems. The same motif emerges in a vahiné ensemble — bustier and slim skirt — paired with a black silk rolled shawl.
Everywhere, color bursts forth — lush, radiant, evocative of a life lived in abundance
A palette gathered from the flora itself
With an almost obsessive sensuality, the hibiscus unfurls its ruffles, its pink hues, its rippling waves — a Mediterranean bloom pinned to the ear of Beirut, the designer’s beloved city — an eternal promise of comfort and joy. The bird of paradise, part flower, part animal, spreads its illusory fan, completing the vision of this dreamlike universe.
From crepe cady to chiffon, charmeuse to radzimir, mikado to taffeta, and Murad’s signature embroidered tulle, the most exquisite textures capture the shifting nuances of a palette drawn from tropical flora, shimmering against the interplay of sky and water. The golden glow of a solar yellow, the smoldering orange of a tranquil sunset, the creamy beige of a stealthy creature emerging from the underbrush. Wild rose, blazing cayenne, silver-blue like a summer cloud, the fathomless navy of a still ocean, the emerald green of lush vegetation parting at the approach of grace.
There is a whisper of the ’60s in this collection — tulip skirts and delicate bows reminiscent of the fleeting echoes of Hollywood’s golden age. One might glimpse the exuberance of Josephine Baker draped in sun-kissed fruits, the carefree spirit of Brigitte Bardot at La Madrague, or the quiet defiance of Princess Margaret escaping to Mustique.
It is a distant island, and on this island, by the fortunate alignment of stars, unfolds the renewal of the world and the emergence of an ideal Eve — radiant, as though on the morning of her first day.
Since founding his label in Beirut in 1997 and joining the Parisian Couture Federation as an invited member in 2012, Murad has cemented his place as a red carpet-staple and one of the most influential designers of his time. Renowned for his mastery of exceptional fabrics and intricate embroidery, his designs radiate opulence, glamour and sophistication, earning him the unwavering devotion of film and pop icons alike.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient Le-Jour.
