With its hot, dry summers and Mediterranean climate, Lebanon seems like an unlikely location to launch a label specialising in fur. But one strong-willed fashionista has done just that. “In the beginning I was laughed at” designer Maya Masri tells us during a recent catch up. With a remarkably short winter season, indeed the market for fur in the Middle East was diminutive, but with a proven penchant for luxury, she believed she could make it work.
After completing a business degree at the American University of Beirut, Maya went on to study fashion in London before eventually launching NoirFur in 2014. “In the beginning I wanted to be a leather designer,” she tells us, but during her search for ateliers she became incredibly drawn to the furs being made in the same factories. “It was love at first sight.”
Not confined to age brackets, she says her customers are “all types of women who love luxury, fashion, elegance, and who like to invest in themselves. Put simply, it is a woman who knows her worth.”
We ask Maya what she looks for when designing a collection and where she takes inspiration from. “First I look at life’s new demands, upcoming trends, this season’s most fashionable colours… but perhaps the most important thing for me is the mixture of materials.” Fur has always been classic, but making it fashionable is the hard part. Maya ensures her designs offer a carefully considered mix of only the best fabrications, combining furs like fox, mink, sable or shearling with cashmere and leather. “And there should always be a harmony in colours,” she adds.
“When a woman wants to wear a NoirFur coat, she must always look feminine and never bulky,” Maya makes a point of emphasising. “What differentiates our pieces from our competitors is the quality of the materials used,” NoirFur skins are ethically sourced from Sagafur house and Kopenhagen Fur House – the best in the world. Each piece is then handcrafted in Italy.
When asked about the future, she’s quick to reel off plans to diversify. “I will introduce men’s fashion next year, as well as more leather pieces for the warmer seasons.”
Follow NoirFur on Instagram and Facebook to find out about Maya’s latest collections and trunk shows.
Written by Thea Carley
