Kitsch Beirut
Dalia Dogmoch & Racil Chalhoub
Kitsch · Gemmayze, Beirut
Dalia Dogmoch is Syrian, born in London, raised in Paris, schooled in German and Arabic, and obsessed with New York from the age of 19. She moved there. Then at 25, she needed to touch base with her roots, relocated to Beirut, and opened Kitsch with her childhood friend Racil Chalhoub in an old Lebanese house. It became the first concept store in the Middle East.
I'm Syrian, my parents are Syrian. My dad left Syria when he was 17 for Germany due to lack of opportunities and the political situation. My siblings were born there but I was born in London. We moved to Paris when I was two and attended German school. So we were Syrians living in Paris but going to German school. I would speak German to my dad and Arabic to my mom then speak French to everyone else in Paris.
I stayed in Paris until I was 19 but became obsessed with New York thanks to American TV shows. I wanted to live in that city surrounded by people where everyone was rushing off to work. At age 25 I felt like I needed to touch base with my roots. At that point Beirut was on a high due to a reconstruction boom. My parents had moved there from Paris too. So I moved there and set up a cafe with my childhood friend. She always loved fashion while I always loved food. We found an old Lebanese house and set up a bakery and shop inside. The most popular item turned out to be cupcakes.
Dalia Dogmoch Racil and I have always been nuts for food and fashion. We wanted to bring together both our passions in a unique and exclusive place. We created the concept from scratch and built it as we went along. We are into the same things and work together beautifully, so it all kind of flowed smoothly. Once in Beirut we quickly started missing a few things we had gotten so spoiled with over the years: funky shops, a cozy place to chill and hang out during the day, and addictive food and bakes. We decided to put all that under one roof.
"New York doesn't try hard. It's that glam look achieved by combining basics with more original pieces in the right way."
Dalia Dogmoch The great thing about NYC is that it has a laid-back yet sexy style. It doesn't try hard. It's that glam look achieved by combining basics with more original pieces in the right way. There are plenty of great shops and inspirations in the city. All you have to do is walk through its streets and absorb everything that goes on around you.
Dalia Dogmoch Yes I'm more of a Downtown kind of girl. If I had limited time, I would make sure not to miss Barney's Co-op because it's not too big and I can quickly pick up everything from a face cream to a funky pair of limited edition Puma trainers and a pair of sunglasses. I love Scoop beach wear and clutches, which we carry at Kitsch, and I usually head to Jeffrey's for shoes.
- Cowboy Cookie at Olive's
- The best Eggs Hussard at Pastis
- Veal Milanese and Spaghetti al Limoni at Supper in the Lower East Side
- Truffle and Cheese Focaccia at Amaranthe
- Poulet Cajun with lots of extra sauce at Bilboquet
- The best Red Velvet Cupcake (after Kitsch's of course) at Amy's Bread
Born in Beirut and raised in Paris, Racil Chalhoub discovered her love of fashion as a young girl, influenced by the chic city of lights and her mother's immaculate style. She went on to study Fashion Design and Marketing in London, the city she now calls home. The label she founded is named RACIL, an ode to her mother, after whom she herself is named. At Kitsch, she handles the buying with Dalia — and she knows her fashion.
Kitsch lives in Gemmayze, and Gemmayze is one of those places that earns the word atmosphere without trying to. Centered around Rue Gouraud, it is Beirut's artistic and bohemian quarter, its architecture a layered record of Ottoman and French Mandate history interrupted by street art, curated boutiques, and bars that run late. The neighborhood is sometimes called the SoHo of Beirut, but that comparison undersells it. SoHo is polished. Gemmayze still has its edges.
Look up above the old buildings and you might catch time slipping by. The future longed for hangs in the air, murmuring through the little alleys of a golden age that once was. The Ottoman houses, frail and beautiful in their slow decay, were once full of hope and excitement. They are washed away by time but not forgotten. Gemmayze is one of the few Beirut neighborhoods where the architectural history of the city is still preserved, and its residents, with the help of some architects, are trying to keep it that way, however difficult that is at times.
Meander the vibrant pedestrian stairways and the main thoroughfare of Rue Gouraud and you will find concept boutiques, art galleries, and those old stone houses, some of which contain hidden treasures. Kitsch was one of the first.
