Los Angeles, Nov 29 (IANS) 

Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab will launch a fashion degree in partnership with the London College of Fashion and the Lebanese American University (LAU).

The 49-year-old is working on a course which will commence in September 2014, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Saab, who launched his Beirut-based fashion label when he was 18 years old with a team of just 15 employees, wants to give young people in his native country the opportunity to have the same level of education as others around the world without forcing them to move.

"The vision behind LAU's fashion design program was to offer the region's students an education of the highest possible international standards without having to travel too far from home,” he said.

The project will be the first of its kind which will see a fashion house teaming up with an American and Middle Eastern academic institution.

Saab is a popular designer, whose creations have been flaunted by a number of A-listers - from royalty like Queen Rania of Jordan to Hollywood icons like Halle Berry and Taylor Swift.