We changed a lot of homes because of the war. It was difficult having to move around so much. I needed to make friends every time I went to a new school. While it was empowering, I am not sure if it was a better experience than staying in one place. It taught me a lot though and gave me a positive attitude. I got to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds.

Roula Salibi

Beirut-based jewelry designer, Roula Salibi, spent ten years in the world of business before doing what she was always meant to – creating handcrafted jewelry that borrows from her mixed roots within and outside the city. The resulting designs blend rough with delicate, contemporary with traditional, and geometric with simple.

Roula’s passion for her work and her brand led her to exhibit the same in cities all over, including New York, Paris, London, and Dubai. Her sole focus now lies in moving from the 2012 erstwhile brand ‘Roula Dfouni’ to present-day ‘I Am Minimalist,’ a transformation mirroring the one in her own life.

In this interview, Roula talks to us about growing up in many homes, venturing into jewelry design, finding her aesthetic, and incidentally representing Lebanon through her work. Read on:

Could you take us through your growing up days?

My childhood is a little bit of a mix. I grew up in two different areas, two different combinations if you like. One is Beirut, the capital of the country, which is very crowded and busy. The other is 20 minutes outside the city, away from the crowd, traffic, and buildings. I was surrounded by nature, colors, and sounds. Lebanon is small so it doesn’t take a lot of time to go from one place to the next.

We changed a lot of homes because of the war. It was difficult having to move around so much. I needed to make friends every time I went to a new school. While it was empowering, I am not sure if it was a better experience than staying in one place. It taught me a lot though and gave me a positive attitude. I got to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds.

This mix of the city and nature is why I’m drawn to the rough architecture aesthetic that is also very geometric in design. But at the same time, my work has this light, natural flair to it. My collections always find a way to relate to something in nature.

We are curious to know more about your shift from business to jewelry design and how it came to be. Do you regret not getting into jewelry earlier?

To be honest, I never knew that I would shift from the business world to the design world. I’ve always had this creative instinct in me, and it runs in the family. My mother was a creative soul who taught me everything I know, my sisters went to art schools, and my father was in the banking sector, which for me back then was like having “Wall Street” at home.

Eventually, my passion for business faded. I was good at my job, and in fact, loved it. But something was missing all along. When I got married and had my son, Noa, I decided to stay home. That’s when I drew my first accessory line. I was obsessed with collages, pictures, and colors. I participated in my very first local exhibition for which I created a collection of collage rings entirely from scratch. After this collection, I knew I had to shift to something more sustainable and serious, and I decided to create a brand.

When it comes to leaving business for design, I don’t have any regrets per se but I would have preferred to stay in both. Sustaining yourself as a jewelry designer is not something anyone can do. Jewelry is not just fashion, it’s a very high-end product. The material and the handcrafting cost a lot. It’s been quite a challenge to manage the business and the brand. It made me want to get back into business because things like pricing would have been easier to handle. I could have been a jewelry designer on the side, especially now after traveling abroad and seeing just how difficult the market is.

But you found a way to do both now.

Yes, exactly. I hope to re-enter the market in a different way. I want to get back to my roots now. I feel like I’ve lost my grasp because I was away from my country for exhibitions. The most important thing is to establish a solid ground in one place and then move around. I think my decision to travel was a little premature. That’s why I rebranded, as I’m thinking in a different way now.

I need to build my roots here again and then try to contact the world outside. It’s easier for European designers to participate in fairs and events since they’re a bit more open and everything is much nearer. I, however, come from a very small country. We’re always in some kind of financial crises or going through other ups and downs. We don’t organize a lot of fairs and if we do, it’s only the locals that visit them.

But I have realized that I still need to be established here before I leave for somewhere else. It’s a jungle out there. Sometimes I used to hear things like ‘Lebanon…Beirut…where is that?’. They don’t even know where I come from!

How do you plan on maintaining an international appeal for your work, especially in Europe or elsewhere while also reflecting your roots through your designs?

I’ve come to realize that the niche customer does not exist anymore. I was more of a niche designer so my designs were very different, contemporary; not very crazy but also not for the masses. I was told by agents from Europe and China that I needed to focus more on the masses. Concept stores don’t sell as much anymore. They need to target large crowds if they want to sell. For me, having to do that means having to really construct my collections.

That’s what I am doing right now. My new designs are less edgy and crazy. Of course, they still have the same flair and touch, but to be able to sell online, I need people to like my pieces and to have a larger following. Everything is very social media-oriented now. When I started traveling, I realized that fewer designers were participating in fairs and fewer people were attending them. Expanding reach through social media is less expensive.

New Earth

I need to build my roots here again and then try to contact the world outside. It’s easier for European designers to participate in fairs and events since they’re a bit more open and everything is much nearer. I, however, come from a very small country. We’re always in some kind of financial crises or going through other ups and downs. We don’t organize a lot of fairs and if we do, it’s only the locals that visit them.

So you feel that social media has made it easier to build your business now?

I need to shift the way the world is shifting. So even if it’s not my thing, I had to be present on social media. And it helped. People were sending me messages telling me how much they love my work and asking me where they could buy it. I realized it’s only happening now because I figured how to reach my audience. People want to see the product, and they don’t really care what’s behind it. I’m not an influencer or a blogger, I’m a designer. So people don’t care if the table or the background is nice, it’s the product that matters.

However, social media isn’t easy. You really need to keep working at it, and I have been doing everything on my own. Building my Instagram taught me that reaching people can be tough. Not every picture you post is the right picture. Not every story is the right one. It took me a while to understand how people respond. I started keeping track of the feedback I was getting on each post. I wanted to understand why was one getting a lot more likes than the other.

People respond to different products in unique ways. Earrings are more attractive than rings because you don’t need to try them on before purchasing. This kind of feedback helped me rethink my creative approach. I’m still learning the market but I think I’ve reached a somewhat comfortable point and I can just focus on that.

You took some time to go back to learning, including some courses at ESMOD in Beirut. What was it like starting from scratch? In hindsight, is there anything you would have done differently?

I was taking fashion design night courses at ESMOD for a year and absolutely loved being at a university again, working with textiles and drawings. The moment I walked into my classroom for my very first lesson, I said to myself – ‘I should have done this a long time ago.’ Everyone around me was very young, so it was a bit awkward at the beginning. I realized, however, that we were all there to learn and we all had the same passion for design. I started to feel like a part of the system. It was a difficult yet wonderful experience.

As you said, I needed to start from scratch. I didn’t have time to study late, I had to go back home to take care of my son who was only one at the time. I got the highest grades from the jury and the university director asked me to enroll as a student and continue for a second year. But to do that, I would have had to be there from 9 to 9, and that wasn’t possible considering I had my brand, my son, and a couple of part-time jobs on the side.

I’ve realized I can learn a lot from experiences outside the classroom. It’s a different type of learning and it can take a little bit more time. My market and my field is my classroom now.

How do you stay motivated? Who would you say have inspired or influenced your work the most?

A lot of people inspire me. I am specifically drawn to Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen. I’ve read books and watched movies and documentaries about them, and have been inspired by their lives and their journey.

But in the end, I am influenced by my own thoughts and memories. Though sometimes my mind just draws a blank, but that’s normal I guess. Inspiration just hits me out of nowhere. Whether it’s a picture I like in a book or on Pinterest, a branch or a flower I see while running or biking, a building I’m impressed with or an exhibition – everything that surrounds me influences me and suddenly, I’ll have a whole new collection in my head.

How would you describe your overall style and design to a jewelry novice?

That’s a tough question. I don’t know how to talk about my jewelry. I get a little intimidated.

I never buy or wear brands. I like to find and wear distinguished designs from independent designers or other creative sources. And I quite enjoy my bubble. However, buying from independent or niche designers is really expensive. I didn’t know any brands or artists that created something that was high-end, had great design, but was also affordable for the masses. So I wanted to create something that makes you feel different at a very competitive price. For instance, you don’t need to pay $300 to wear my ring but you can tell that it’s not like anything you find in regular stores or online. That’s the idea. It’s simple and chic but not sophisticated, and it’s priced competitively.

That bit took a while to figure out though. I worked alongside my manufacturer extensively to finally have a piece that is nice to look at and is affordable. I feel that everybody is allowed to feel good and that’s the reason I try to cover the face of my models as I don’t want people thinking they need to look a certain way if they want to wear my pieces.

I AM MINIMALIST

I feel that everybody is allowed to feel good and that’s the reason I try to cover the face of my models as I don’t want people thinking they need to look a certain way if they want to wear my pieces.

Do you have any rituals that you follow when starting a project?

Not at all (laughs). I wish I was more organized, but I do keep a weekly to-do list. I just write down the things I need to work on – the website, the price-list, Instagram research for my next campaign, or even Pinterest-ing.

Overall, I don’t schedule very much. It’s hard when you work from your own studio. Sometimes, even opening my laptop is a challenge as I prefer crafting things with my hands, as opposed to doing stuff like cost-pricing or social media. But I have to do it as I currently cannot afford to hire someone else so I can just focus on the creative part. But maybe one day!

What made you decide to work in Beirut? How has it changed or impacted your art and its makings?

I like living here. Having a presence in Beirut is better because people know where to find me. So the city is important for my business, and I need to live here to be inspired and continue my work.

If you ever visit Beirut, just walk around the streets. You’re bound to be fascinated by all the beautiful old houses. We’re trying to preserve them and keep them from being replaced with bigger buildings. If you go up in the mountains, you can see more of them, and it will make you want to live in Beirut. I’ve always been attracted to this kind of architecture.

When I first started working with local craftsmen, I found that they too have a history in Lebanon and I wanted to preserve that. We come from an amazing country. It might be torn by wars and bad politics, but we have a lot to share, and I am lucky to have the opportunity to show my culture to the world through my work.

Take us through your creative process of designing the ‘DRIFT’ collection.

‘DRIFT’ was created after my second visit to Paris. With DRIFT, I wanted to be very contemporary. I know that a lot of other more established designers also have modern and edgy work, but I feel that I bring something special from my roots. And I wanted to make a collection to show that we are modern but we also have an enriching history and a sense of good design.

I drew the pattern myself which represents the architecture we use in our houses, furniture, and facade. It’s quite simple, not very graphic, and I added a contemporary touch to the shape of the pieces. It’s called ‘DRIFT’ to represent the shift from modern to traditional design, one that comes from my country. I wanted to present my signature style for international audiences.

DRIFT

Building my Instagram taught me that reaching people can be tough. Not every picture you post is the right picture. Not every story is the right one. It took me a while to understand how people respond. I started keeping track of the feedback I was getting on each post. I wanted to understand why was one getting a lot more likes than the other.

Any reasons in particular for a significant portion of your work using oxidized sterling silver?

I was always drawn to the black oxidized effect. And I used the sterling silver because I wanted a nobel material. What I liked most about using silver in my designs is the coloring options – it can stay silver or it can be oxidized after being dipped in rhodium or gold.

When I launched ‘I Am Minimalist’, I did the ‘Soar’ Collection. I have the wing tattooed on my hand which represents my need to fly, to change. It came at a very tough stage in my life when everything was changing. I was traveling a lot for fairs and exhibitions and I also got divorced around the time. I wanted to rebrand, and I needed wings to help me get through all of this. That’s why the first collection of ‘I Am Minimalist’ is all gold. Gold makes it bright, and for me, it’s a new start.

I cannot deny the fact that I like oxidized pieces. I like dark colors in general, and I love black. I never wear anything other than black and it’s never in a depressing way. With my new collection, I’m trying to get back to my first, ‘New Earth’, which was all in black and silver but with colorful stones. People like diamonds because they’re chic. However, they’re not exactly colorful. I like to add significant stones to pieces in my collections so even though they’re mostly black, there are hints of blue or green. My new collection is mainly about getting back to this style.

I’ve changed the material now only to lower the price. Instead of being silver, the base of the ring is going to be copper dipped in silver. We’re going to have four colors – black, gold, silver, and pink.

Can you take us behind the scenes of  ‘Construct | Deconstruct’ Collection?

‘Construct | Deconstruct’ stems from my love for geometric shapes and forms. Once I was trying to look at these weird shapes inside other shapes, and the idea just came to me.

I love it but it is quite challenging to persuade people to love it as much as I do. For them, it’s big and bulky. You need to have the attitude and style to wear it, and that made it very niche and different from my other collections. I would always come up with these small, different collections, but I now realize that I also need to create something more saleable, sustainable and palatable to the general masses.

Construct-Deconstruct

We come from an amazing country. It might be torn by wars and bad politics, but we have a lot to share, and I am lucky to have the opportunity to show my culture to the world through my work.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

The fact that I had the opportunity to travel and be a part of all those exhibitions as the only Lebanese. It wasn’t that easy. I put in a lot of investment to be able to do that. It was a choice I made because I wanted to go out there and have those experiences. It was as if I was in ‘La La Land’. I wasn’t represented by any agency, so I’d just carry my suitcase around, put my stuff on the table, and wait for the sales to happen.

I met a lot of people and made a lot of friends from countries like Poland, Italy, Germany, and China. I learned a lot from it and I wanted to express that with my new brand, which I believe is a good place to start. I had to stop traveling so much eventually because I couldn’t afford it anymore.

What are you currently working on?

I need to launch a second collection of rings and earrings this year under the new brand ‘I Am Minimalist’. After that, I’m going to start working on clothes jewelry – anything that can accessorize your top, shirt or blazer, and give it a new touch. For example, a button that you can add if you’re bored of wearing the same clothes over and over.