Page 56 - 03_April-2025

THE LOOK
SHEAR
GENIUS
Edmonton fashion designer glides into
a new creative phase by cutting a rug
by AREEHA MAHAL + photography JANICE SAXON
JESSICA
Halabi’s childhood living room rug
doubled as her first design studio. She
spent hours upon hours sprawled upon
its threads, pencil in hand, sketching
dresses.
“I was like, ‘One day I’m going to make
these, one day I’m going to make these.’
And suddenly — ‘one day’ became for
real.”
Halabi studied fashion design locally
at MC College (then called Marvel
College). Post-graduation, she found her
niche creating custom fashion and
bridal gowns for clients, often focusing
on modest wear. But the fashion designer
took on a new creative challenge
when The Sugar Mama TV docuseries
invited Halabi to craft a dress that truly
represented who she was.” I create for
others, for my clients,” she explains.
“When it’s so deeply personal, I’m like,
How am I going to show myself?”
She started thinking of home — about
the heart of every get-together and
where the threads of her passion first
wove together.
“The root of the gathering area is
probably the living room, and then I
was like, ‘What’s in the living room?’”
The answer was in her memory all
along.
“The rug. The rug is where we always
gather and sit. It reminds me of my
childhood, laying on the rug with my
family — my grandmother, my aunts,
my parents.”
This connection weaves well past
Halabi’s childhood, back through
generations.
“Even when traveling to Lebanon,
where my ancestors are from and my
family is from, and going through
the souk (market) — the rugs are so
prominent. It’s so beautiful. They have
so much background in history and
creation.”
56 EDify. APRIL.25