From sculptural silhouettes to digitally infused couture, Rami Kadi has built a reputation for pushing fashion into unexpected territory. Through his eponymous maison, the Lebanese couturier has become known for creating gowns that carefully balance craftsmanship with innovation. Yet beneath the embellishment and spectacle is a designer driven by emotion and storytelling.
Fresh off another Cannes Film Festival, ELLE caught up with Kadi to discuss creativity, authenticity and what continues to inspire him. While Cannes is often a stage for spectacle, Kadi approaches the red carpet differently. For him, the goal is not simply to create a beautiful dress, but to fashion a feeling.
“For me, Cannes is always about creating a moment, but in a way that still feels personal to the woman wearing the piece,” he says. “I wanted the looks to communicate confidence, individuality, and emotion.”
His work has become synonymous with modern couture: fantastical, certainly, but never disconnected from the women who wear it.
THE RED CARPET, REIMAGINED
Rather than relying on overt theatrics, Kadi focused this season on movement, texture and presence. The gowns were designed to reveal themselves gradually, catching light as they moved across the carpet.
“There’s something very powerful about a woman walking the red carpet and looking completely connected to what she’s wearing rather than hidden behind it,” he explained.
“The goal is never just to dress someone beautifully, but to create a feeling people remember.”
Looking back on the festival, however, it wasn’t a single celebrity appearance that stood out. Instead, it was witnessing the transformation that occurs when a design leaves the atelier and takes on a life of its own.
“What felt most personal to me this season was seeing how differently each woman interpreted the pieces,” he went on to say. “There were moments on the carpet where the emotion suddenly became very real.”
One particular memory remains vivid. “Seeing a look move exactly the way I imagined it would months earlier during the creative process,” he says. “Those are the moments that remind me why couture is so emotional.”
DESIGNED FROM EMOTION
That tangible emotional connection reverberates throughout Kadi’s work. His collections often feel cinematic, layered with texture, embellishment and narrative. Yet, surprisingly, the creative process rarely begins with a sketch.
“It usually starts with a feeling before anything else,” he says. “Sometimes it’s a color, a texture, a memory, or even a certain atmosphere that stays in my mind.”
Rather than approaching a collection through technical construction alone, he allows intuition to lead. Hours spent experimenting in the atelier often shape the final direction of a piece.
“The movement of a fabric, the way light reacts to texture, or the contrast between softness and structure can completely shift the direction of a piece,” he unveils. “For me, couture should always feel alive and instinctive, not over-calculated.”
THE BEAUTY OF RESTRAINT
Given the level of detail present in his work, one might assume deciding when a piece is complete is difficult. According to Kadi, knowing when to stop is often the greater challenge. “In couture, it’s easy to continue adding details, but restraint is just as important as embellishment,” he says.
Kadi describes the process as instinctive, guided less by rules than by balance. “I usually know a piece is finished when everything feels balanced emotionally and visually. The silhouette, movement, texture, and energy all need to feel connected.”
A SIGNATURE OF HIS OWN
In an industry increasingly driven by algorithms, trends and rapid consumption, Kadi has managed to maintain a recognisable visual language. It is something he consciously protects.
“I think the most important thing is staying honest with your own creative language,” he says. “Trends move very quickly now, and it’s easy for fashion to become reactive.”
While evolution remains essential, identity remains the foundation. “I don’t believe in changing direction just to follow what’s happening around you. I think people connect to authenticity.”
THE CASE FOR COUTURE
Perhaps that philosophy explains why couture continues to resonate, even in an era dominated by immediacy and digital culture. For Kadi, the enduring appeal lies in its humanity.
“What excites me most is that couture still feels human,” he says. “In a world that moves very fast and exists so much through screens, couture offers something physical, emotional, and intimate.”
He points to the handwork, precision and craftsmanship embedded within each garment as qualities that cannot be replicated digitally. “People still respond emotionally to beauty, presence, and craftsmanship. I think that’s why couture continues to matter.”
INSPIRED BY CONTRAST
Outside the fashion sphere, inspiration arrives from a variety of places. Architecture, films, music, travel and conversation all feed into his creative world, particularly when they present unexpected contrasts.
“Lately I’ve been very inspired by contrasts,” he says. “The tension between nature and technology, softness and structure, tradition and modernity.”
WHAT COMES NEXT
As for what’s next, the designer remains focused on evolution rather than reinvention. New couture collections are already in development, alongside creative collaborations and explorations into new artistic and technological territories.
“What excites me most is the idea of constantly evolving while keeping the emotional essence of the maison intact,” he says. The next chapter, he promises, will feel “bold, immersive, and unexpected,” while remaining unmistakably Rami Kadi.
