Roun Is the Lebanese Label Turning One Piece Into Many

Nour Ghaith stood up and spun around in her black ‘Hold me Loose Top’, a one-size-fits-all halter with adjustable ties, one of her favourite pieces from Roun’s summer collection.

Ghaith bought a large piece of fabric, draped it on a mannequin, and started cutting until it evolved into the pattern she wore now.

23-year-old Lebanese designer Ghaith founded Roun with a six-piece winter collection in 2024; she graduated from fashion school at the Lebanese American University the year before. Roun is the brainchild of her senior collection, Interface, in which she transformed everyday garments into innovative, futuristic designs—a commentary on how clothes act as a mediator between one’s true self and the world.

Roun’s products and brand identity embody multi-functionality, minimalism, and timelessness, Ghaith says, adding that, “We cannot afford to design pieces that are arbitrary and don’t have meaning.”Ghaith wanted to make the clothes she couldn’t find in stores, different from what everyone was wearing in Lebanon. The first piece she designed was the ‘Multi-wear Bomber’ jacket for the winter collection. The zip-up jacket comes in two sizes with a pair of hidden side pockets. The high collar, mid-thigh length, and waist silhouette are all adjustable. The rest of the loose-fitting, all-black winter collection echoes these convertible designs, specifically the ‘Asymmetrical’ top, button-up, and ‘tying pants’.

She loved how her customers styled the bomber jacket, covering their pilates set by day, and cinching the waist in a trench-style by night. Instead of buying clothes for every specific occasion, Ghaith said, you can just buy one that becomes multiple.

“You cannot design without sustainability nowadays, our environment cannot afford that,” Ghaith added. She is inspired by modular fashion, an approach to clothing design where garments are created with interchangeable, detachable, or reconfigurable parts. One item can be adapted into different looks by rearranging or adding modules, leading to less waste and consumption. Ghaith is inspired by the post-World War I Bauhaus movement in Germany, where designers stripped clothes of ornament that didn’t serve its functionality. They opted for geometric designs, clean lines, and primary colours. From designer Rick Owens, who evokes a dark, avant-garde street style, Ghaith sees her own grungy-feminine takes on functional women’s wear. Some also tell Ghaith that her designs remind them of French luxury house Maison Margiela.

In addition to the versatility of her garments, Roun also employs slow-fashion techniques—producing a limited number of high-quality pieces.

While Ghaith doesn’t believe in mass-production, she wanted her SS'25 collection to cater to a wider customer base than the more niche, Interface-inspired pieces of her winter collection. The summer collection expanded to white options and more revealing garments for the hotter months in seven multipurpose styles. The often sold-out ‘Make my own top’ can shape shift from short to long and strapless to halter.Ghaith said that she has made more sales from her summer collection than from her winter collection. Since Roun started more than a year ago, Ghaith has sent out over 100 orders in a country where the odds are stacked against her.

Since 2019, Lebanon has faced an economic collapse, a devastating pandemic, the largest non-nuclear explosion in modern history at the Beirut port, and an ongoing war with Israel. It is within this context that Ghaith started Roun.

And she is proud of herself. In spite of political, economic, and regional instability, Roun grew into the brand it is today.