Sarah Hermez: Fashion's Force for Good, Navigating Crises and Shaping Global Style

For over a decade, Sarah Hermez has championed fashion as a powerful catalyst for positive change. A graduate of Parsons, the Lebanese designer and educator returned to her home country and, in 2011, co-founded Creative Space Beirut. This tuition-free fashion school was established to provide aspiring young talents with access to an industry that might otherwise have been inaccessible.

Hermez's path has been fraught with challenges. She has successfully steered the school through Lebanon's severe economic downturn, the global Covid-19 pandemic, the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion, and ongoing regional conflicts. Despite these adversities, Creative Space's alumni have flourished, launching their own fashion labels and garnering significant industry accolades, including awards from Fashion Trust Arabia.

Hermez's own contributions have now been recognized with her inclusion in The Business of Fashion's BoF 500 list, solidifying her influence among those shaping the international fashion landscape. In a recent interview for our 'One Last Thing' questionnaire, Hermez shared insights into her preferences and perspectives.

When asked about her favorite time of day, she humorously replied, "When I’m asleep. Because I’m asleep." Her preferred dining experience is room service. Reflecting on her parents, she quipped, "I’m still convinced they’re not [human]." Her aspiration for the future is to be "Free." When questioned about hidden talents, she stated, "I’m very smart, but it’s very hidden." Her favorite book is surprisingly "Facebook," and she can't stand "My husband’s" music. Questionnaires are a significant source of irritation, while "Ice cubes" are something she cannot live without. Declining to name dream dinner guests due to her inability to cook, she prefers being "Out with the sofa" rather than out with friends. The smell of "Cigars" and the taste of "Escalope" transport her back to childhood. While she loves "Paris," she would hate to live there. She does not play a musical instrument, having instead "married a musician." She declined to answer whether she has ever been on a motorcycle. Her guiding principle is "Trust the process," and her biggest pet peeve, like what puts her in a bad mood, is "Questionnaires." She believes in aliens and considers "Merci" her favorite Arabic word. The most niche thing she watches on YouTube remains private. Her tea is taken in a "Teacup." She confesses to holding emotions in until "my eye starts twitching." Social algorithms, she suspects, are interested in "Design, babies, dogs, unhinged AI-generated short films, and random videos of people falling over." She prefers "Instagram" over TikTok. What might surprise most people is that she is "originally Assyrian, from Iraq and Armenia." Her most recent first-time experience was becoming pregnant.