As soon as you enter Jessica Khoueiri’s office, you can sense her positive vibes and her infectious love for life. At only 28, she is the mother of two beautiful children, she’s a fashion reference in her own right and she’s founder and designer of her own clothing brand. She’s also someone I truly admire.
An art lover, Jessica attended Istituto Marangoni in London, where she studied Fashion Design after earning her Bachelor’s degree in Beirut. Upon completing her studies, she had various career opportunities in London, but she followed her heart and came back to Beirut where Georges, the love of her life, was waiting for her. She worked at Elie Saab for four months as a sketch designer, and then in 2010 launched her own clothing line: Jessica K.
The big news from Jessica – a secret until now – is that she’s launching a new clothing line for children between 0 and 8 years of age. It’s called Little Bluffers, an inspired name that hints at how kids will do everything and anything to get what they want. A child innocently bluffs to have his or her own way, hoping not to get caught.
Her collection is divided into two categories: All Day Long, for cool and casual everyday clothing, and Big moments, featuring more delicate pieces for special occasions that kids just can’t miss. Styles include lace tops, neoprene dresses, leather leggings, faux fur gilets and funky sweatshirts, and the collection is somewhere in between romanticism and rock ‘n’ roll, certainly like nothing I’ve ever seen before. (Check out some of the exclusive pictures posted below.)
Before leaving Jessica’s workshop, I had to ask her the one question that kept going through my mind: “How do you do it? How do you manage to be a mother and a businesswoman at the same time?” She replied, with a smile on her face: “For me work is work, and home is home. At first I felt guilty being away from my children. But I’m a perfectionist, and I’m passionate about my work. I’m not saying that it’s easy. My day starts at 5:45am and sometimes ends at midnight. But it pays off.”