The May 2024 issue of Vogue Arabia is a special one, starring none other than Lebanese-Mexican icon Salma Hayek Pinault on the cover. This month, the star talks not just about her Arab roots, but also about her journey in fashion, with a stunning (and extremely meaningful) cover shoot to match.
For her shoot, Vogue Arabia tapped two designers from the region to scour through Hayek Pinault’s style archives and recreate outfits from a time when the actor didn’t have access to the best names in the industry. In Hayek Pinault’s words, these are looks worn by her “when I didn’t have access to a lot of designers. They didn’t want to dress me, and so I had to be creative, or find something last minute.”
In a special behind-the-scenes video, Salma Hayek Pinault dives into the details of the two looks, and the stories behind them. “I am so thankful to Vogue Arabia, they did something really special,” she says about the novel concept. “They have asked two Lebanese designers to reinterpret a look form my past, from my archives. Below, a closer look at the couture pieces crafted especially for Salma Hayek Pinault’s Vogue Arabia debut.
Rami Kadi reinterprets Salma Hayek Pinault’s tattoo butterflies from the MTV Awards
Salma Hayek Pinault at the 1997 MTV Video Awards
“So, Rami Kadi reinterpreted a dress that I wore to the MTV Awards a long time ago, when I was not very famous at all,” Hayek Pinault explains. “And so, it was just a simple black dress, strapless. And also I had no one to lend me jewels at the time, and so I decided to make my accessories with tattoos of butterflies. The accessories really worked, people loved it! Because at the time, it was not very popular. i have really good memories of that look, and all the creativity that had to go into it when you have limitations.”
Sketch by Rami Kadi
Photo: Courtesy Rami Kadi
Taking cues from the 1997 look, Kadi crafted a beautiful body-skimming ebony gown with a…
