Glamouria - Tony Ward: From Beirut’s War-Torn Streets to the Heart of Paris Couture By Hayat Ammouri

Crafting Timeless Elegance: Tony Ward’s Journey from Stockroom to Runway

TONY WARD- I have been in the fashion industry for many years, but for some reason I have never met him… When his team informed me that he will be in Paris, I asked to interview him and to get to know him a little more.... Here we are in his Parisian showroom on Faubourg Saint Honoré on a rare lovely sunny autumn day during Paris Fashion Week.

You took your love for Couture from your dad.. How? Sometimes children want to do anything but not what their parents are doing?

My dad was a couturier in Beirut. Growing up I would go visit him in his atelier. I worked with him for a year during the war; I used to help him, I would see all the ladies…. I liked the idea of working with the ladies.. When I was 18, I decided I wanted to go into fashion, but he didn’t like it. I was studying Medicine at the time. My dad wanted me to continue my studies. I wanted to go into fashion. I ran away to Paris with 400 francs in pocket. I looked for a job. I did everything. I loved fashion but I didn’t know how to draw. In Paris I started working with Claude Montana and I went to college.

How were you able to find a job so quickly with Montana?

Not quickly. It took time. I worked first as a bodyguard, a chauffeur.. I was 18! Then I met someone at Lanvin. They said they could introduce me to an executive there and helped me to speak to her. I used to get paid 9,000 francs as a bodyguard, I was young and handsome… She did hire me at Lanvin. I started as a stock keeper. She gave me 4,000 francs and said "if you are good enough you will find your way up.”

I joined Lanvin, and at the same time I was working at a hotel at night to survive. I had my brothers with me running away from the war. 

I was a stock-keeper at Lanvin Men, not even women. One time, a client visited the store from the U.S. I was passing by with ties and things in my hand. I used to read a lot about fashion and I recognised he was a famous fashion journalist. They had no idea who he was. They were trying to talk to him but no one spoke English at the store so I took care of him. He spent 120,000 Francs. As a result, they offered me a job in sales, but I wanted to go into design. They said we will pay you for design. We will pay for your university, but you have to spend one year in sales. I went into sales.. When I was at the university, they transferred me to work in the atelier with Claude Montana, then to the studios with Dior, Ferré, and Karl Lagerfeld…

So you worked with the biggest names!

Yes, but I started as a porter in the stock room which is not wrong. Today I have 200 employees, and I appreciate everyone’s job. I used to clean and sweep the floor.. It was my job and I earned it.. 

It’s a good lesson for young generations.. They think they can create a dress and post it on instagram and it’s done..

Things are different now, but it doesn’t mean it was easier. I went back to Beirut and my career launched. My dad started working with me. He was very proud. I built my headquarters, and another one.. He joined me for a while then he left, and now I work with 200 employees.

Tell me two things about your dad. One, what is the difference between you and him? Then what is something you learnt from him or techniques that benefited your career?

My dad was very picky. He would say “You have to be more picky than the client..”You should be 100% convinced that your work is perfect..

As for techniques I learnt them in Paris and I brought them to Beirut… From my dad I learnt perseverance. I saw what he did during the war.. We thought we would never go through this again, but here we are living what they used to live! 

They call you “The Architect of Detail”. Is this what you mean by being picky?

I am very picky and I love architecture. When I built our first headquarters I was very involved in the construction. I find joy in working with architects. I was working on a 14 story building and I wanted to do something different. I wanted every angle to look different from the other. I feel that a dress is like a home, a space. The flying stairs…  You should visit our space one day you will see it, it’s something that lives with time. My dresses should be pieces that live with time.

Architecture is very rigid, while dresses are soft, feminine..

Architecture could be very poetic, sensual, or masculine. There isn’t much masculinity nowadays, We are all gender-fluid.

If you like architecture and design this much, do you ever think of pursuing what other designers do, such as hotels or apartments carrying your name?

When I decide to do a hotel, I will be doing it myself, not an architect who is doing  the work and me just signing my name. When you see my showroom, you will see the details, you will understand. It’s very important for me to do it myself. 

We are thinking of this, and we are already in discussions.

What do you like about women?

I love women! A woman is my reason to be. I do this job because I like being there for her, thinking of her, taking care of her.. I like shopping with her, for her.. I think it’s the most beautiful invention God has created. 

When you are designing her dress, how do you want or love to see her?

I don’t see a woman as pretty, ugly, thin, fat or sexy…There are vulgar women, no matter how you dress them.. When you work with women, you can work with her to bring the best out of her.

What did you take from all the great designers you worked with?

Techniques of course. The “flou” of Ferré, the construction, the leather and jackets of Montana, the structure.. The creativity of Lagerfeld, who was very architectural.. They are different schools that were very important to build up my personality. 

What did you add to them?

I can’t say I added.

Because you didn’t take?

I can’t say I didn’t take.. We’re sitting together and I am taking from you now.. If you can’t take from people you sit with, it means you wasted your time… I lived 3 years with Claude Montana, working together till 4 in the morning. If I didn’t learn anything from him, then it’s a waste. If You meet people, you go out with them, and you get back empty, it’s a waste of your time.. How much time have you wasted? Time goes very fast.

How do you start with a collection?

I pick a theme. It has to be an exciting one.. If it’s there, the sky is the limit. Tomorrow I am going to Milano for Couture..

Today we’re presenting our spring summer ready to wear, which is Old Hollywood collection. We worked on it in August. We had a lot of fun doing it. The ideas were amazing!

How long does it take you to finish a collection?

I am starting now the collection that will be out in February, but the sketches would not be ready for the team until 2 months in advance. I usually start 6 months in advance to grasp the idea properly.

Do you still get nervous when you present your collection?

Always. It’s called Adrenaline. Just like when your heart beats when you see a beautiful woman, when you watch a movie, or listen to music…

When you present your collection, whose opinion matter the most to you? Who gives you validation? Is it sales? Is it someone in particular?

Figures are important for sure. I like to see the feedback, what went on the red carpet, how much we sold,  what was the most sold item, and what didn’t work.. We learn a lot. No one has a crystal ball to tell you this will work and this won’t (Only Michel Hayek can..) When we create a collection, we flirt with reality! We are an independent Lebanese company. We don’t have investors. 

Do you like to have investors?

No, I like to be my own boss. I have my freedom; “Je n’ai pas de comptes à rendre”.

Anyone’s opinion you wait for specifically?

I do have people whom I care about their opinions. I don’t like people pleasers who say yes everything is pretty. I like people who tell me their honest opinion. My nose is very close to the collection, you have to be a little distant..You listen to someone’s opinion, someone you love, you trust, you appreciate..

What is your advice for the young creatives who are about to start now?

Do another job..

Another job? haha.. Haram they want to follow their passion..

It’s a tough job that comes with a lot of responsibilities and lot of traveling, but it’s amazing. Each job has its inconvenience. 

Do you think that a man who design for women is different from a woman who designs for women?

No. Look at Coco Chanel, Diane Von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera.. They did beautiful things. We have a lot of women designers on our team and they do a beautiful work.

What advice do you give women to find their style and how to choose what  to wear..

Women have to know what looks good on them. This is very important. What you are wearing should not look like a costume. You should listen to the professionals you are working with, whether it’s a consultant, a salesperson or a designer. Trust that they have a vision. Let them do their job and do your job, be beautiful; do your business and let others do theirs. 

Will Couture survive?

I can’t keep up with the demand! 

How? Everyone speaks about the economy and things that are not working..

The value of what you make is not the same anymore. What you make out of the sale is not the same. There is a very high cost for Couture. To host a couture show, you have to pay millions. You have to sell for millions and make more to make a profit. The value of the profit is not the same. Then you do the next show, and you see that costs got even higher! How much higher can you go with your prices?!

Where is your biggest market?

We were number 1 in Moscow. Now the U.S. is our Number 1, followed by Saudi Arabia, the Gulf countries, and South East Asia. Hoping that Moscow will be back, and Europe. 

Do you think the Arab woman is different from the Russian one, or the American one, etc..

It’s a wave.. It starts here and ends there. Today in Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, they like the dress to be plain with a little touch.. Go to Brooklyn or Michigan, they love embroideries..

And for brides?

Going to New York to present our bridal collection and it will be beautiful…

Click Here to check Tony Ward Bridal Collection SS2025: Falling For You