Turab: A Lebanese-grown fashion brand with healing powers

“Turab is the origin of life. It is the grounding matter that connects the human hand to the planet”, attests Georges Broummana. Turab is not merely inspired by earth, it returns to it, noticeable in its organic textures and the colors extracted from nature.

Good friends for twelve years, Georges Broummana and Joseph Haykal co-founded Turab. They come from different backgrounds, an engineer with Murex and an interior architect with independent projects respectively. They always dressed alike, and after the pandemic they figured why not go into a fashion business together. In August 2021, Joseph was in Mexico and Georges in Positano, they came back to Lebanon having purchased the same style of clothing. That’s when Georges called him up asking “why not start our own boho brand?”.

Rise of Turab

In 2021, they grappled with everything from pricing in a collapsing currency to skeptical customers, unreliable suppliers and constantly changing factories.  

After Covid, people needed a release which played to their advantage. They didn’t overthink and just went for it despite the many setbacks such as mass emigration that others might have considered.  They began from a small room with a rack and slowly expanded to their current location.

“We only hire Lebanese people, we made sure of that”, says Joseph. Every day they learnt something new as they hauled merchandise up and down the stairs.

When they began wearing their samples, their friends made fun of them, but it didn’t make a difference. Not everyone needed to see their vision. What mattered is that they were doing what they loved and that meant at least 10% of the population would love it too.

Their first mission was to travel to source the fabric first heading to Turkey where they failed to find what they were looking for. They had something very specific in mind, Cotton Gauze. Back in Lebanon and fed up, Joseph stumbled upon something appealing. What they use now is a blend of organic cotton and linen, which are both natural. Linen on its own is rough and wrinkles a lot. “Our blend ensures a flowy nature to our pieces”, says Georges.

They first gained momentum in Egypt where they went two months after launching the brand and quickly became the talk of the town.

“There was something missing in the Middle East, our unique style, which was what helped Turab achieve its regional success. We were the first”, explains Joseph.

A grounding movement

 Their pieces are rooted in simplicity, because nature is minimalistic, with natural fabrics, earthy tones and quiet silhouettes. It so happens that most of their pieces can be worn by both genders.

Dubai, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Ibiza at times in the summer, are countries where they have left their footprint. What’s more, they are finalizing a distribution deal in Dubai to grow the brand across the GCC.

Whenever someone wears the brand, they profess: “Wow It’s really comfy, it’s cool, it’s peaceful, we find ourselves grounded”. They don’t take liberties with the designs to stay true to the brand name Turab.

“When you believe in what you’re doing, there’s no way you won’t succeed”, affirms Georges.

In line with their identity, they have a slow production, designs sewn by hand and details executed meticulously. In dressing one famous Lebanese personality, twenty meters of fabric were braided. Machines are only used to put the items together, which explains that their operation doesn’t exactly allow for mass production.

With sustainability at the forefront, they use remaining fabric from other pieces to create a new one, unique creations with particular clients in mind. They attempt to avoid waste as much as possible.

A healing power

With designs that bear a meditative quality, the founders hope people shed the busyness and chaos of everyday life. Fabric plays a significant role in the human being’s emotions. Synthetic clothing carries negative effects unknown to the person wearing them, and natural fabric transmits soothing powers.

“A land for everyone”, Turab was designed for all people in mind, but a community was created around the brand encompassing artists and creatives who feel good in their own skin. “When you wear Turab you would look distinctive. You notice that the person in our threads is different in how his mind works”, says Georges.

For the time being, they’re satisfied with their production. Ultimately, they want to create a thorough experience for the client to see how the operation is run, people sewing, the offices and the workshop. It will remain a slow fashion brand even if expansion happens to be the next natural step.

“How can we take Turab elsewhere with different fabric while maintaining its identity”, ponders Georges. In wintertime, they’re not as present, so envisioning a winter line is the natural progression for them.

In a league of their own, they’re an independent fashion brand actively deviating from norms and trends. “The sky’s the limit. I’m imagining everything. Turab stores in Lebanon, Dubai, Europe and worldwide. There’s nothing I put my mind to that I don’t accomplish”, affirms Joseph. With that kind of mindset, one can only imagine where this Lebanese-grown brand will go to next.