Sandra Mansour facts for kids

Sandra Mansour is a fashion designer who was born in Switzerland and has both French and Lebanese heritage. She made history by becoming the first Arab designer to work with the famous Swedish fashion brand H&M.

Her Journey to Fashion

Sandra Mansour was born and grew up in Geneva, Switzerland. Her parents had moved there from Lebanon because of the Lebanese Civil War. When she was thirteen, her family moved back to Beirut, Lebanon, where she lived until she was eighteen.

After that, she returned to Switzerland to study business at Webster University Geneva. But her passion was art! So, she also studied art at Beaux Arts in Geneva. Later, she learned a lot about fashion design from the famous designer Elie Saab. She then earned a special degree in fashion design from the Istituto Marangoni in Paris.

Starting Her Own Fashion House

In 2010, Sandra Mansour started her very own fashion company in Beirut. It's named after her! She is the main designer and also the boss of her company. At first, her designs were mostly sold to people in the Middle East and Europe. But then, she worked with a company called Moda Operandi to help her reach even more customers around the world.

In 2017, Sandra was recognized as an "international emerging designer." This meant she was a rising star in the fashion world, representing the Middle East. She even created a special collection for a fashion website called Farfetch.

A Special Collection with H&M

On August 4, 2020, a very big explosion happened in Beirut. Sandra Mansour's design studio and home were damaged. Luckily, she was in Geneva at the time. Even though it was a difficult time, she saw people helping each other in the streets, which gave her hope for Lebanon's future.

Later that same month, she launched a special fashion line called "Fleur du Soleil" (which means "Flower of the Sun") with H&M. This collection, which included fifteen different clothing items, was supposed to come out earlier but was delayed because of the explosion. The designs were inspired by amazing women artists like Toyen and Dorothea Tanning.

After the "Fleur du Soleil" collection was released, Sandra Mansour and H&M decided to donate $100,000 from the sales to the Lebanese Red Cross. This money helped people affected by the explosion. This collaboration was a big deal because Sandra Mansour was the first Arab designer to work with the Swedish fashion company H&M.

Dressing Celebrities

Sandra Mansour's beautiful designs have been featured in Vogue magazine. Many famous people have worn her clothes, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Gigi Hadid, and Ming Xi.