Glamouria - Mariana Wehbé: Leading Beirut’s Creative Revival with Vision and Strength By Hayat Ammouri

There are people who build careers, and then there are people like Mariana Wehbé — who build movements. A woman whose energy can light up a room and whose love for Beirut is as fierce as it is tender, Mariana returns with We Design Beirut – Edition 2, determined once again to reclaim space, spirit, and possibility for her city. Her journey is one of optimism rooted in action, a mix of resilience, fearless dreaming, and deep emotional intelligence. In a country where hardship has often drowned out hope, Mariana insists on joy. She listens to silence, finds meaning in memory, and brings people together through creativity with purpose. This is a conversation with a woman who doesn't just organize an event. She inspires belief- in Beirut, in each other, and in what’s still possible.

What is a dearest memory that you hold from last year?
When I overheard someone say, “I never saw Beirut like this before”, and someone else say “This is the Beirut we know before all that we have been through”. This will forever stay with me.

What’s a lesson you took away from the first edition of We Design Beirut that still guides you today?
That flexibility is everything. We learned to let go of rigid expectations and respond to what the city, the people, and the moment demand. And that authenticity matters more than perfection. It taught me to trust intuition, adapt quickly, and always center the voices of those who make Beirut what it is. We also learned serious crisis management skills after we had to postpone twice. 

The locations in We Design Beirut are characters of their own: how did you choose them, and what makes them meaningful?
Each location is chosen for its memory, its silence, its scars, and its stories. I look for places that are alive, even in silence; buildings forgotten, façades with history, public spaces that have been overlooked. Those are the ones that speak to me. Because Beirut is both open and wounded; these sites allow us to unearth fragments of identity, to bring the invisible to light. 

If you could accomplish just one meaningful thing with this year’s edition, what would it be?  
To bring Lebanon back to the regional and international playground of creativity. To let people plan to come back and look forward to coming back to our country. 

What’s something surprising and beautiful you’ve learned about yourself through this journey?
I’ve learned that I’m a little bit crazy,  but the beautiful kind of crazy that dares to dream beyond reason. I’ve discovered that fear and courage can live side by side, and that somewhere between the two is where magic happens. It’s where impossible ideas take root, and where even the wildest dreams find their way into the world. And for that, I feel deeply blessed.
 
With everything you pour into others, how do you recharge your own energy?
I retreat into stillness. Sometimes that means sitting in a dark room under the covers, and that’s the honest truth. It’s in that quiet that I can breathe again. I also need the sea; it’s my love. And when I can, I escape to places of peace, surrounded by soulful friendships and gentle moments that refill my heart and recharge my spirit.
 
On the hardest days, what keeps you going? 
Its’ beyond me, but maybe it’s faith. It’s also my journey that pushes me and possibly that fact that I am still hungry to work, create, achieve and have a purpose in life. 
 
You’ve created something so full of life — what does joy look like to you when you're working on a project like this?
For me, joy is the people I work with. Our entire team apart from my partner Samer and our director Suhad is under 30. They are young, passionate, and mighty, and they’re the reason I keep going, even on the days when I feel like giving up. They are my joy and my hope is that they will carry forward the same love and sense of duty we have for this country, and keep building on it as they grow and find their own paths. They are MIGHTY !
 
You’ve turned your passion into a movement. What would you say to someone who is scared to take the first step toward their big idea?
FEAR creates Courage is something I have learned; be afraid but move with your intuition. It's your compass in life .

To the We Design Beirut team you say…
Thank you doesn’t feel enough. You bring your soul, your grit, your late nights, your doubts, your laughter. You make this possible. Let’s keep doing this, together.

We Design Beirut- Edition 2 is taking place this month, October 22-26. Events are open to the public. Click here for the full program.