The 20 year old charismatic designer from Windsor has come a long way already. With numerous shows under his belt including the L’Oreal Fashion Week in Toronto, Hibebe is emerging fast as a new designer on both local and international scene. Hibebe celebrity clients include Paris Hilton, Eva Pickford (America’s top model ) Ryan Seacrest (American Idol), Miss Honey Dijon and Mena Suvari.

Hype1: Tell us about Hibebe.

Salem: Hibebe (pronounced Habebe), is an Arabric word, which means sweetheart or my love. It was my childhood nick name and people that are close to me still call me by it, so it is very distinct and special for me.

Hype1: What was your inspiration behind the spring/summer 2007 line?

Salem: The inspiration for this collection was mainly 80’s Miami Barbie, fun, fresh, and funky. I tried to mix Items that conventionally wouldn’t match and make them look good together. There is also strong use of funky prints with bold and strong colors with accents of black. Overall this collection is something that you wouldn’t usually expect in the Toronto fashion scene.

I always loved making people look good and making them feel confident for any event they want to attend.

Hype1: How did you get started in the fashion industry?

Salem: I always loved making people look good and making them feel confident for any event they want to attend. I started designing at the age of 14, when I was just going into high school. I had a big passion for designing outfits and used to draw ideas all over my home work and doodle all over the place. My mom, who was a seamstress for 23 years always supported my passion and helped me along the way by teaching me many tricks of the trade. Eventually with the help of other people, I started to put together outfits from concept to design and I eventually started to get noticed by clients. A number of celebrities like Paris Hilton started wearing my clothes and the label started to grow bigger and bigger.

Hype1: The fashion industry has the reputation of being a very competitive and cut throat business. Do you have any interesting stories?

Salem: There has been a lot of interesting stories that I can talk about. However, my favorite story is the problem I had to face due to my young age. I was told that I was too young and needed more experience to participate in L’Oreal fashion week for my fall/winter 2006 collection. However, I decided to go ahead with it and ended up doing my own show which turned out to be a huge success. The whole experience and the positive response I received from people, made me feel very accomplished as a new designer. I am glad I didn’t let these problems let me down and stop me from achieving my goals.

Hype1: Common misconceptions with fashion industry you would like to dismiss?

Salem: Well there are a lot of misconceptions associated with the fashion industry. One that particularly touches home is the common notion that a lot of Canadian designers are "boring". Although many think that Canadian designers have very simple and chic designs, there are a growing number of Canadian designers such as yours truly, that are coming up with different and more colorful collections.

Hype1: Where do you see yourself and Hibebe in the next 5 years?

Salem: Well I am hoping to see Hibebe grow into a big fashion house, opening up new stores, as well as expanding my line to include different types of accessories and products.


Upcoming Event:
Hibebe: Tackie Barbie Spring/Summer 2007 at Maro
Thursday October 19, 2006
Doors Open at 9 pm, Runway at 11 pm
For more information on Hibebe Visit www.hibebe.ca