Lebanon has always prided itself in the entrepreneurship of its business community, with more and more women setting up their own ventures.

One prominent woman entrepreneur is no other than Reem Acra, whose fairy-like wedding dresses have been showcased on international catwalks. The Lebanese started designing when she was attending the American University of Beirut in 1982 before grabbing the world’s attention with her glamorous yet fashionably simple creations.

Other Lebanese women have been equally successful. Such is the case of Nada Debs, an acclaimed architect whose furniture designs are the result of a careful creative process embracing the craftsmanship of oriental furniture as well as Asian sobriety.

Sarah Beydoun is another Lebanese entrepreneur and designer, whose creations — mostly handbags — are every season’s must have. The Sarah’s Bag label has been built around the concept of a corporate responsible fashion house. Beydoun works alongside a staff of designers while using female prisoners to execute her designs. As a result, Beydoun currently employs over 50 women in the prisons of Baabda and Tripoli alongside a team of 150 other women, including former prisoners.

Fashion has been a source of inspiration for two other young Lebanese, Serene Abbas and Narina Najm, who met at the ad agency GWT before launching, with their associate Jad Sarout, Raghunter, a fashion search engine, in December 2012. Currently, Raghunter is available in Beirut and will be expanding to Dubai and Paris in 2015. The site offers an online magazine, The Kill, that produces relevant content covering the local fashion market, according to Abbas.