Georges Hobeika SS25 Couture: A Son’s Celestial Tribute to His Late Mother

By Jesse Scott

In a grand gallery of Paris's Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Georges Hobeika unveiled a powerful tribute to his mother Marie to mark opening day of Haute Couture Week SS25. Hobeika's mother passed away in 2024, leaving behind an indelible legacy on her family and the brand that bears its name. "Marie was the heart and foundation of the House, infusing it with unwavering energy and wisdom passed through generations," guests were told. Indeed, the House would likely have never been founded without her; she taught Georges to sew when he was a boy and instilled in him the profound love of craftsmanship that he in turn passed down to his son Jad. The father-and-son team are now co-creative directors and honored their mother's memory with a dramatic and expansive collection that began with a series of black dresses to represent mourning and concluded with ethereal looks symbolizing peace after death.

The deeply reflective and meticulously crafted collection seemed less an act of mourning than a celebration. With the trademark elegance that has defined Hobeika since he opened his atelier in Lebanon some 30 years ago, the designer took guests on a spellbinding journey across the River Styx into a triumphant afterlife. "A soul roams around the Earth, grasping for hands once dear. Softly, a glorious path unfolds, drawing it to heaven's gates, hearing whispers that call it forth, beyond the veils of doubt and fear," the show notes read. This narrative mirrored what we saw on the runway, as the heartwrenchingly elegant black looks gave way to a symphony of color and ultimately to an array of gold, silver, and white pieces that seemed to have descended from the cosmos. The exclusive guest list, which included Léonie Hanne dressed in a billowing white manteau, Chloé Lecareux in a romantic blush pink ensemble, and Tuba Buyukustun wearing an ethereal floral-embossed gown, seemed captivated by the romance of the moment, as an exquisite melancholy was replaced by an uplifting sense of hope that sent all into a sunny Parisian day with smiles on their faces.

The first look set the tone for the emotional and sensory journey. A model in a modest but exquisitely embroidered black dress drifted down the runway in a sheer black veil and lace gloves, the image of the grieving widow complete with mascara running down her forlorn face. The second dress, a shimmering piece with baroque-style details coiling into the wide neckline like the wings of a swan, possessed a tragic elegance. This was immediately followed by one of the collection's most visionary designs, as Hobeika ingeniously combined the sheer and lace of lingerie with a quasi-ethereal black gown that seemed at once both seductive and sorrowful (Looks 1-3). Sheer was elevated again several looks later as a fully transparent face veil and bodice, glittering with the golden stars of the cosmos, descended into a glistening mermaid sheath (Look 8).

Mermaids were recalled once again as the collection gradually transitioned from the black of mourning to radiant color. The collection was soulful and sparkling, as Hobeika meditated on mortality and the universe with sprinklings of stardust added in seemingly increasing amounts as the show progressed. A dress in brilliant sapphire seemed to have emerged straight from the ocean, shedding bright beads of water dancing in the sunlight (Look 19). Gowns and blazers in emerald green rustled like the leaves of the jungle (Look 26), while a little red riding hood-reminiscent look swept down the runway like a fire (Look 32). This bright palette seemed to carry us on a tour of the globe and its elements before giving way to something more celestial at the show's conclusion.

The most covetous pieces came at the finale. Meticulously bejeweled and embroidered dresses in shades of gold, silver, and white, in varying degrees of sheer, served as a spectacular sartorial tribute to Marie Hobeika's legacy (Looks 42, 45). Fitting looks for even the most graceful of fashion icons to enter an eternal Eden, they mesmerized guests as they slowly filed through the grand hall. When the final bridal look drifted away like a dream (Look 56), and the Hobeikas came out to take their final bows, one felt as if they had taken a profoundly personal journey through grief, contemplation, and eventually peace with the father-and-son team. A triumphant collection, which clearly came from the heart, it doubtless would make Marie proud.