KICK BACK AND RELAXE 20.11.24

"Boutique Relaxe is still family-owned and now entering its third generation. My grandmother still takes care of the retail shop along with my mother. These special sandals have traveled the world even before the existence of social media, and still up until today when an expat comes home for a vacation, a visit to Boutique Relaxe is a must to shop for themselves and their families abroad with the latest colors and style.

Despite the numerous wars since 1976 to date, and the complete chaos and instability constantly reigning over our beloved Lebanon, from the financial crisis back in 2019, to the Beirut port blast in 2020 coinciding with Covid-19, to the current war we are witnessing, this small shop was able to survive it all".

Tell us about the Relaxe brand! How did it start & what is the inspiration behind it? 

Boutique Relaxe was founded in 1976 by my late grandfather Michel Hakim and grandmother Marie Hakim. The concept came to life when my grandfather’s travel agency which was located in Beirut was completely destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War. He found himself jobless and needed to come up with something to make ends meet. That is when he and my grandmother decided to transform the garage beneath their home to Boutique Relaxe which is still known today and still running from the same location.

Fun fact: The atelier has also witnessed 3 generation, initially my grandparents started working with the grandfather of the guy we currently work with.

In 2012, a few months before the passing of my grandfather (he was 87 years old and still running the shop), he was so worried to leave my grandmother with what he thought would be a burden, and was seriously considering closing the shop and renting out the space. My mother then interfered and reassured him that we would all help out, and insisted on keeping the shop and the brand alive. And here we are today, still going strong and expanding.

We would love to hear more on your design & production process? How does the Relaxe Sandal come to life? 

Boutique Relaxe started by importing high-end lingerie brands and slippers. The business picked up very quickly and after a short while, my grandparents decided to have a brand of their own. This is where they met and partnered up with the atelier, who we are still working with today, bringing the iconic Relaxe sandals to life. These sandals, which became a must-have in every Lebanese woman’s wardrobe are still handmade pair by pair. They were initially worn as house slippers, but with the ever-changing design and fabric used to keep improving and perfecting the sandals, these fashionable yet simple slippers became a comfortable trend for outdoors as well.

In working with RUBY Creative Director Deanna on the colours, how was the process of working collaboratively from afar?

From the first call I had with Deanna, I found her very pleasant to work with. The process was very nice especially since it came with a challenge we are not used to, the big time difference. It was nice to see what the market in New Zealand is looking for compared to the markets we are used to, mainly the Middle East and Europe.

We are so excited to be Relaxe’s exclusive New Zealand stockist, what do you hope Rubettes feel in wearing their Relaxe Sandals this summer? 

I truly hope Rubettes will love our sandals as much as we and our clients do. I hope that they will start to ask for new models and colours as well and will keep coming back for more.

Shop Relaxe Sandals online & in stores now x