Elie Saab has achieved the supposedly unachievable. The designer has built his independent fashion brand, which has its origins in his home country of Lebanon, into a mutilation-dollar lifestyle business. At its heart is luxurious clothing desired by some of the world’s wealthiest, and most discriminating, women – indeed, Saab was the star of a recent Paris Haute Couture week. He speaks to LUX Editor-in-Chief Darius Sanai about how he overcame cultural and commercial challenges to thrive in this most challenging of industries, by focusing on simply creating beauty.