Karen Wazen is a fashion entrepreneur and social media influencer who is British-Lebanese and lives in Dubai. In 2016, she launched her digital career with the blog Karen’s Choice. Since then, she has amassed more than 7 million Instagram followers. She began to collaborate with brands like Dior Beauty, Cartier, and Breitling as her online popularity increased, and she began to appear on the covers of publications like Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, L’Officiel Levant, ELLE Arabia, and Grazia Morocco.
Karen made Forbes’ list of Women Behind Middle Eastern Brands and won the Achieving Women in Digital Influence award at the annual Achieving Women Awards presented by Entrepreneur Middle East. Wazen has also represented the Middle East and North Africa at global events like the British Fashion Awards and the Cannes Film Festival due to her influence and presence on social media.
In 2018, Wazen launched the “Karen Wazen Eyewear” collection, which was exclusively revealed by Vogue Arabia. The collection was created by Wazen’s own personal style, her fashion philosophy, and taste. Karen started her business based on her growing sense of insecurity regarding her eyes. She used wearing sunglasses to “cover” her insecurity. She slowly began to become passionate about sunglasses, and that is when Karen Wazen Eyewear was established.
“As a young girl, I was always self-conscious of my eyes,” says Karen Wazen “Eyewear was always an easy and convenient way to cover them. I remember loving all kinds of glasses – reading glasses, sunglasses of all colors, and especially statement styles in interesting shapes.”
The entrepreneurial influencer, whose wide smile and large, almond-shaped eyes recall Angelina Jolie during her Gia era, has turned yesterday’s curiosity into a fashion venture. While online shopping for a new pair of shades, Wazen, who is based in Dubai, was having a conversation with her sister, footwear designer Andrea Wazen, about her first venture into design.”You love eyewear so much, why don’t you create your own sunglasses brand?,” Her sister said casually.
Karen didn’t want to start a business just for fun. She describes her project as “an extension of herself. Eyewear definitely stands out when you look at how she dresses, her style, and her profile. she has always felt an emotional connection to eyewear. Inclining toward an off-the-clock uniform of pants, a white tee, and an exemplary overcoat, and a design week look of calfskin, larger than usual shoulders, and a couple of explanation glasses, Karen Wazen’s eyewear is expected to be worn as an expressive type of style – one that is versatile and lively. From neon to tortoiseshell, the five styles in the first line are available in acetate and stainless steel. The focal points offer UV security and are created in Hong Kong. The shapes range from the futuristic to the old-fashioned cat-eye. According to Wazen, “Eyewear is such an expressive form of fashion, so adaptable, and so playful, that this line is truly for everyone.”I hope that everyone who looks at the collection will find a style they like.
