The story of Oscar Kraye’s latest couture collection began with a small, recurring encounter. As designer Haidar Krayem entered a new chapter in his career, ladybugs seemed to appear wherever he went. Their presence sparked a curiosity that gradually developed into the visual foundation of Lady B.
“Lady B really began with the ladybug,” Krayem explains. “It kept appearing wherever I travelled at a time when I was entering a new chapter as a designer. I became curious about its symbolism and its lifecycle, and before long it started finding its way into my sketches.”
The ladybug’s rounded shell, delicate wings and distinctive markings are translated across twenty couture looks. Polka dots evolve from one silhouette to another, while cocoon forms, sculptural collars, architectural capes and rounded volumes reflect different moments in the insect’s process of transformation.
Yet Lady B is equally rooted in a place. Created between Beirut and Dubai, the collection brings together the contrasting energies of both cities. Beirut provided its emotional core, while Dubai encouraged Krayem to explore scale, strength and more commanding forms.
“Beirut was the emotional centre of it all,” he says. “Spending time there reminded me to notice the small things, especially in nature. I think that’s where the softness and femininity of the collection really came from.”
In Arabic, Beirut is often spoken of as a woman, a connection that allowed Krayem to approach the city through beauty, resilience and enduring femininity. Rather than referencing Beirut literally, he captures its presence through sensitivity, detail and the tension between fragility and strength.
Dubai introduced a different creative rhythm. Its energy encouraged the designer to make the silhouettes larger, bolder and more architectural. Corseted gowns expand into sweeping trains, capes frame the body and sculptural forms confidently occupy space.
“Beirut made me slow down and appreciate the beauty in the little details, while Dubai encouraged me to think bigger and be bolder with my silhouettes,” Krayem says. “Somewhere between the two, I found the language I wanted this collection to speak.”
That language is expressed through silk crêpe, raw silk, silk taffeta, georgette and Italian tulle, combined with Swarovski crystals, crinoline and sculptural faux fur. Traditional couture techniques guide each piece, from the construction of the corsets to the placement of individual crystals.
Every look is made to measure through the Oscar Kraye atelier in Dubai, allowing the relationship between the garment and its wearer to become part of the creative process. Craftsmanship is not treated as a decorative final step, but as the force shaping the collection’s proportions, movement and personality.
Although each look has its own character, Krayem resists selecting one as the collection’s defining piece. For him, the meaning of Lady B is found in the progression from one silhouette to the next.
“Lady B only makes sense when you experience the collection as a whole,” he says. “Like the ladybug itself, every look represents a different stage of transformation.”
Some designs express confidence through volume and presence. Others create space around the body, allowing fabric, movement and detail to unfold more quietly. Together, they offer two different understandings of strength.
“Sometimes that boldness is about taking up space, and other times it’s about creating space for everything around it to unfold naturally,” Krayem explains. “I wanted the collection to embrace both, because I think real confidence comes from knowing when to do each.”
With Lady B, Oscar Kraye turns an unexpected symbol into a deeply personal exploration of change. Shaped between Beirut and Dubai, the collection finds its identity in contrast: softness and structure, intimacy and scale, observation and imagination.
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