MEET CYNTHIA JREIGE
This week in Fashion, we interviewed the highly accomplished Cynthia Jreige. She describes herself as a hard worker, but she is also very passionate and ambitious, never takes no for an answer, and most importantly, dreams big, which is truly inspiring. “I work all the time, even in my sleep, I'll dream of ideas for work,” she tells Fekr. Cynthia believes that what got her interested in the creative world was that there have always been aspects of fashion in her life from a young age. From the simplest things from trying recipes with whatever was available at home, and wearing Marc Jacobs at the age of 12. At the age of 11, little Cynthia picked up her first Elle magazine and was taken away by the world of fashion that was within the pages. From that moment on her interest in fashion blossomed.
Every shoot she’s ever done has always been special to her, but she mostly enjoyed shooting with Dana Hourani, whose vision and passion Cynthia loved. And to Cynthia, that’s what matters the most to be able to succeed in the creative industry. One of Cynthia’s most recognizable works is JDEED Magazine, and her inspiration behind creating this project is the need to shed light on artists and give them a platform to display their work. And to also feel closer to her roots and move to Beirut partially, which is what truly fueled JDEED Magazine.
An issue that seems to be prominent to Cynthia is the fact that it was hard for her to make connections and being new to the area, coming to the Middle East at 23, launching her own business, and not knowing anyone, was a true challenge to her. “It was hard to be trusted, and hard to find trustworthy people,” she tells Fekr. As for the changes she would like to see happen in the creative world, is to have things less about your connections and whom you know, and mostly about people’s soul talent, which is something we can all agree on.
Lastly, we asked Cynthia what piece of advice would you give your younger self, and she said; “keep being patient, don't take everything personally and believe in yourself!”
