Renaissance Renaissance: Cynthia Merhej on Fashion as Resistance and Self-Discovery
Lebanese-Palestinian designer Cynthia Merhej, founder of Renaissance Renaissance, discusses her Fall/Winter 2025 collection 'The Protagonist' as a personal exploration of queerness and healing amid war in Lebanon and Gaza. The collection, inspired by Fassbinder's film 'The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant', uses buttons and hidden fabrics to play with revelation and concealment. Merhej, a third-generation designer, was named a semifinalist for the LVMH Prize and is beloved by Chloë Sevigny. She recently collaborated on costumes for 'Bonjour Tristesse', Durga Chew-Bose's directorial debut. Her brand, founded in Beirut in 2016, continues her family's legacy from her great-grandmother Laurice Srouji's 1920s Jaffa atelier and her mother Laura's label Nos Intuition. Merhej sees her work as cultural resistance, highlighting Lebanese craftsmanship without overt slogans, and prioritizes mental health and giving back to Lebanon through mentorship programs.
Key facts
- Cynthia Merhej is the founder of Renaissance Renaissance, founded in Beirut in 2016.
- The brand is entirely produced in Beirut.
- Merhej was named a semifinalist for the LVMH Prize.
- She collaborated on costumes for the film 'Bonjour Tristesse', directed by Durga Chew-Bose.
- The FW25 collection 'The Protagonist' explores hiding and revealing, inspired by Fassbinder's film.
- Merhej is a third-generation designer; her great-grandmother Laurice Srouji had an atelier in Jaffa in the 1920s.
- Her mother Laura ran the label Nos Intuition in the 1980s and 1990s.
- Merhej uses fashion as a form of resistance by celebrating Lebanese culture without overt political statements.
Entities
Artists
- Cynthia Merhej
- Laurice Srouji
- Laura Merhej
- Chloë Sevigny
- Durga Chew-Bose
- Françoise Sagan
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder
- Nicolas Ghesquière
Institutions
- Renaissance Renaissance
- Nos Intuition
- LVMH Prize
- Balenciaga
- Comme des Garçons
Locations
- Beirut
- Lebanon
- Jaffa
- Paris
- France
- London
- United Kingdom
- Gaza
- Israel