Elie Saab Revives His Iconic 2000s Aesthetic — and Teases a Major H&M Collaboration

It was an Elie Saab gown worn by Halle Berry on the red carpet at the 2002 Oscars that went down in fashion history and helped turn the Lebanese designer into a global name. Now Saab is returning to the aesthetic that made him an icon in the early 2000s.

For his Spring collection, the designer once again delved into his archives, presenting weightless sheer layers and intricate embroidery in a delicate palette of blush pink, sky blue, sage and sandy tones.

“I wanted to highlight all the key codes of the brand,” Saab said backstage. He was referring to the flowing silhouettes, corsets and floral embellishments that defined the house’s signature style in the early 2000s.

According to the designer, the timing is perfect for such a revival: celebrities and a younger generation are once again embracing the very elements that made Elie Saab instantly recognizable.

Symbolically, two true icons of that era — Paris and Nicky Hilton — were seated in the front row.

The design team has been actively studying the house’s archives, preserved at the Elie Saab Foundation in Beirut, using vintage designs and sketches as sources of inspiration.

The return to the brand’s iconic codes also coincides with another major development: next month, Elie Saab will launch a collaboration with H&M. The project is expected to make the house’s signature aesthetic more accessible to younger consumers, blurring the line between high fashion and the mass market.

“We want to break the perception that Elie Saab is exclusively an inaccessible couture brand and bring it closer to a wider audience,” said Elie Saab Jr., the company’s CEO.

Ready-to-wear and accessories are already driving sales growth: according to the executive, they are up by around 20% this year. Without the impact of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, that figure could have reached 35–40%.

It seems Elie Saab is ready to make his romantic, feminine aesthetic a defining fashion language once again — only this time for a new generation.