What made you set up an Italian shop?
I love clothes and I’ve been traveling to Italy ever since my brother first started in the business. When I would go on shopping trips with him and buy clothes for myself, people would always comment on my personal style. So it inspired me to open up my own shop here.

Are your customers familiar with your Italian brands?
No, no one knows them here. But my customers trust me. It’s not like Armani and D&G. The brands I carry are more remarkable and more famous in Italy.

What’s the difference between the Italian and Lebanese men?
Italians are very educated in clothing. They know how to put the shoes, shirt, hat, belt and pants together to create a total look. Here, they only focus on one nice shirt to make an outfit. They need to learn to mix and match.

What about the women?
Women think that they have to have the big boobs with the hair extensions and full makeup to get attention. But it doesn’t matter if you’re ugly or pretty: if you know how to dress, then I will look at you.

Do you ever feel like packing up and moving to Italy?
When the last war broke out I had to shut down my downtown location for two years – I closed off the expensive rent and lost a lot of money. But what can we do? I love my country. I would never leave.