three palestinian designers who treat fashion as storytelling

olive oil vests and inspection lounge pants

REEMAMI

Whimsical prints and illustrated graphics are the heart of Reema Al Banna’s brand REEMAMI. The hand-drawn quality of the prints evoke a childlike playfulness, while the architectural silhouettes feel sophisticated.

I’m obsessed with the “A Tin of Olive Oil” collection, which is inspired by Reema’s childhood delicacies and memories that tie to her identity. The Olive Oil Vest would be very wearable for my personal style—the print and halter cut balances out the formal menswear look of a button down vest. Perfect for a relaxed jean or billowy silk pants that drag on the floor.

Tin of olive oil motif spotted

Now the dresses are where I really appreciate the shapes/construction. The overall aesthetic (strategic cutouts, architectural lines) reminds me of J.Kim, who incorporates Uzbek and Korean design motifs throughout her designs.

Maqluba Knitted Dress. I love it in the green collar trim variation. Would style with a cropped leather moto jacket, sheer socks and high heel sandals.

Pixel Damask Rose Knit Dress. This dress reminds me a lot of PH5, something technical and sporty about the shape. Would style with arm length gloves and a high heel square toe boot.

Ghazal Al Banat Slip. The boob circle panels add an avant-garde touch to an otherwise saccharine pink dress with floor length shoulder strap bows. It’s undeniably pretty. A “take yourself out on a solo dinner” dress that only needs a simple necklace and barely-there shoes.

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Meera Adnan

Designer Meera Albaba’s namesake brand is all about romance and nostalgia. From the clothes themselves to the styling and photography, there’s a soft and wistful expressiveness that comes through.

Scrolling through her website, the Warda Unisex Vest immediately caught my eye for its symmetric embroidered roses down the front. I’d love to style this with a pleated uniform skirt and white button down shirt underneath. A mesh undershirt would also look cool.

As a designer, Albaba intentionally creates tender and romantic portrayals of Palestinian masculinity rarely shown in media.

I recommend listening to her episode on the Preserving Palestine Podcast about the little-known difficulties of trying to operate a fashion brand out of Gaza; it is “virtually impossible.” Nearly all factories have had to shut down, business owners face “double taxes”(to the Israeli government in addition to their own), importing fabric is very expensive and exports of textile products outside of Palestine must be conducted through Israeli shipping companies. Because of these restrictions, Albaba has produced her collections in Turkey and Jordan.

In the podcast, she also emphasizes that she sees her designs as art pieces—clothes that can be handed down to future generations.

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Trashy Clothing

Satirical, incisive, campy. Equal parts clothing brand and performance art, Trashy Clothing is a self-proclaimed “anti luxury luxury label from Palestine” by Omar Braika and Shukri Lawrence.

I really enjoyed scrolling through their website and reading the garment names because it offers so much insight into the story they tell through branding. With pieces named “Inspection Lounge Pants” and “Desert Delights Shirt,” Trashy Clothing takes jabs at Orientalist tropes and oppressive power structures.

The Maria Skirt & Occupation Badges Magnet Top

“Much like any other creative pursuit, the Israeli occupation of Palestine makes it near impossible to pursue fashion, meaning young designers are being driven out of the region – Brakia and Lawrence have been forced to operate from Jordan in order to sustain the label.” DAZED Digital

This article from W Magazine elaborates on how their collections are informed by their experiences as Palestinians. The “Inspection” garments are double-layered, referring to the harsh inspection checkpoints and surveillance moving in and out of Palestine.

Trashy Clothing’s T Shirts Souk is worth a browse—excellent combination of graphics and text that make a good tee.

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A final note: like many of us I have spent this week listening and learning more about the history of Israel's systemic oppression of Palestinians that has led to the violent atrocities and humanitarian crisis of this moment. As an Asian-American fashion writer, I am always thinking about how clothing tells stories…how it offers perspective into someone’s world. Fashion does not exist in a vacuum.

Here are three actions you can take:

• Call Congress to demand a ceasefire (provides script and instructions)

• Email Congress to stop supplying military weapons to the Israeli government

• Text CEASEFIRE to 51905

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Thank you for being a part of the molehill ❤️

yours truly,

viv