How I rebuilt my life after losing everything to Lebanon's financial collapse

Khaleej Times

29-05-2025

I know it sounds dramatic to say 'the bank stole my money.' But if you're Lebanese, you know that's not exaggeration. That's just fact. One day you're running a business, making plans, watching your numbers grow. The next? You're begging a bank teller for your own money and getting that same cold, rehearsed 'system error' stare.
Before the financial collapse, I had built something I loved. Vinci wasn't just a fashion company. It was my dream. It was a vision stitched together with clarity and purpose. We brought the biggest names in fashion from the US, like Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Nordstrom, straight into the heart of Beirut. We weren't just importing clothes. We were importing experience. We were bringing in aspiration, energy, and possibility.
But Vinci was never just about retail. It was a living, breathing brand. It was media before I even realised I was doing media. We launched three physical stores, organised our own runway shows, built an engaged digital presence, and cultivated a community of people who didn't just shop. They believed. They bought into the story, the vibe, the feeling. Vinci was culture. It was a movement.
And the growth was real. It was fast. The ROI was better than I could have imagined. I wasn't just selling clothes. I was building something people wanted to be part of. Everything was working. Until it wasn't.
Then came the crash. The unthinkable, until it became the daily. Lebanon's financial system collapsed almost overnight. I didn't believe in hiding piles of cash. I believed in the system. I believed in doing things the responsible way. Keeping money in the bank, following the rules, investing in growth. That was supposed to be the smart path. The safe path.
But in Lebanon, even the smart path had a tragic punchline. The banks closed their doors. Then they opened them again, only to say no. No withdrawals. No transfers. No answers. One day, I had cash flow, plans, and momentum. The next, I had nothing. Not because I failed. Not because I made a bad investment. But because a system that should have protected people like me simply didn't.
They took my money. But they didn't take my mission.
And let me be clear. I don't blame my country. My lovely Lebanon will always be home. I blame the system. I blame the corruption. I blame the layers of negligence and greed that hollowed out the institutions meant to safeguard us. The people didn't fail. The spirit of Lebanon didn't fail. The system did.
What I've learned is this. You can lose your business, your income, even your sense of stability. But you don't lose your purpose. Not unless you give it away.
People say I shifted back into media. But the truth is, I never really left it. Vinci was always a form of media. Storytelling. Branding. Emotion. Identity. Presence. So when I lost the company, I didn't pivot. I continued. I went back to doing what I do best. Creating.
Only this time, I was creating with different tools. New platforms. New formats. I rebuilt from zero. And I mean zero. I wasn't just starting over professionally. I had to rebuild myself. My confidence. My voice. My why.
I became a creative director. I launched shows and podcasts. I helped build studios from the ground up. I led rebrands and campaigns for some of the most exciting names in the region. I formed teams that felt like family, and together, we told stories that mattered.
Today, I lead content at one of the region's most competitive media platforms. And no bank, no government, no system failure can take that from me.
If you're reading this and you've lost everything. Your business. Your savings. Your sense of control. I want you to know, I see you. You're not alone. You're not broken. You're not done. You're just in the process of becoming.
Sometimes the ground has to give out from under you before you realise you were meant to fly. Sometimes hitting rock bottom is the beginning of your real story. The story you were actually meant to tell.
And to all the builders, the creatives, the dreamers who've been forced to watch their work evaporate in the chaos, don't let this system define you. You are not your bank balance. You are not your business registration. You are your fire. Your clarity. Your vision. That's what builds movements. That's what survives collapse.
The runway is still there. You just have to walk it again.
So, walk it.
Even if you're walking alone at first. Even if you're scared. Especially if you're scared. Because your steps, no matter how shaky, are still steps forward. And each one takes you closer to who you're really meant to be.
The banks may have stolen our money. But they can't steal our spirit.
And that is what rebuilds nations.