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Tailors’ benches, each with a built-in sewing machine, line the wall of a long room in the Beirut Souks, in addition to tower shelves packed with rolls of fabric in a variety of vibrant hues. At Creative Space Beirut clients can select a piece of cloth, and then watch as a tailor begins to cut and sew a custom-made garment.
A new addition to the Souks, Creative Space Beirut, a nongovernmental organization founded in 2011, runs a free three-year fashion program for underprivileged students. Its presence in the Souks is part of a new initiative called Khan Al Joukh, which is bringing together local designers and artisans to create links to the city’s pre-war past.
