Equally optimistic is Chakra, who has dressed Kate Beckinsale and Nina Kiri, and whose gowns have appeared in The Devil Wears Prada. “It is very difficult as a designer and artist not to be affected by what is going on around you,” he says. “The terrible chaos and hurt that we as Lebanese people are going through has struck us all to the deepest parts of our core. But the Lebanese people are strong, and hope for a better future. This is what we aspire for and what is helping the team and the entire atelier push through.” But, speaking candidly on the state of affairs in Lebanon, he states, “We are doing the best we can. But for any business that is working in Lebanon and contributing to the economy, this [economic situation] is something that is unacceptable.”