The book is not demure, yet it is not offensive either. The two co-authors make it clear that this a collaboration by many contributors, from photographers to poets, to writers, and designers. The Bookįrom first glance at the cover of the book, it is evident that Rana approached the book as a designer rather than an author. I felt I was in a candy or toy store.” Quote and image from the book. “When I went to the main lingerie shop in Souk Al Hamidiyeh, I didn’t feel it was peculiar or out of the ordinary. We are far more comfortable with our sexuality than our modest way of dress would suggest.” “The lingerie industry in Syria is a bit of an ‘underground culture’ but definitely not the big taboo many people assume it to be. It was an eyeopener.”Īccording to Rana, the book was also a huge eyeopener to the wider public about the role of sexuality in the Middle East. But with the book we reached so many more people than an exhibition ever could. ‘You have to make a book!’ I did not understand the power of a book. “I wanted to do an exhibition, but Malu insisted. Rana had been collecting these unique pieces of clothing on her frequent visits to Damascus while still living and working in London. Others can be eaten.Įxtract from Introduction of The Secret Life of Syrian LingerieĪccording to Rana, the book came about serendipitously after a chance meeting with editor, now co-author, Malu Halasa, who encouraged Rana to turn her private collection of Syrian lingerie into a book. Some of the bra-and-panty sets sing and light up. There are colourful plastic butterflies and flowers sewn onto underwire bras and zippered breasts and crotches verging on a crudely innocent version of S&M. Styles zigzag from prim virginal floral arrangements crowning a thong like a wedding corsage, to nippleless leotard reminiscent of Frederick’s of Hollywood. “If you take a cross-section of Syrian culture, you are going to see a spectrum of different cultural values that cross a thousand years, but they all exist right now in one single moment,” he says. According to Syrian political commentator and novelist, Ammar Abdulhamid (interviewed for this book), the country is ancient and postmodern at the same time.
Ages and influences compete with each other. It is not sick or perverted” Our Theme: The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie
“The lingerie is almost done in a naive sweet innocent way. The book sold just under 10,000 copies and is now out of print. Rana launched her own line of home collection and accessories, art and prints, and one of a kind objects all sold on her online store The highlight of her career is when in 2008, she launched her book The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie co-edited with Malu Halasa. Rana worked closely with Lina Kanafani, architect David Adjaye, The Smallville Hotel, Bassam Fattouh, and Nada Debs. They also designed the restaurant branding of Slate (Beirut), Kalilah (Jeddah), Ayyame (Kuwait), Filful (Dubai) and Yamama (Bremen/Germany). Her studio has a broad experience in developing identities for hospitality and retail such as window displays for Harvey Nichols, the logo and interior graphics for the restaurant Comptoir Libanais in London, and the brand image for the retail stores Bokja in Beirut and Sawani in Jeddah. Her work has been widely published in magazines such as Elle Deco, Wallpaper, Creative Review, Design Week, Aishti, Bespoke, Canvas and Brown Book. Rana is known for her understanding and use of Middle Eastern popular art and culture, using vibrant imagery and merging it with the latest design technology to create a unique vision of graphic design and art direction. Rana Salam has been running her own London, now Beirut-based, design studio for over a decade, specialising in brand creation and re-branding, producing distinctive designs for clients including Harvey Nichols, Art Dubai, Liberty of London, Boutique 1, the V&A and Paul Smith.
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