We celebrate the difference

Fashion in the Middle East is not something we usually refer to or talk about much, certainly not in Palestine. With the domination of fast fashion, ethical local brands found difficulties at first to identify themselves, to grow, and to show their work. Palestinian brands have been certainly using their creations as a way to voice out their thoughts about social, cultural, and political matters 

To make navigating the Palestinian ethical brands easier, the list down below offers a selection of three brands that hire local creatives in Palestine and that proudly express the rich culture and identity of the country.

tRASHY is a Palestinian collective formed by the designer Shukri Lawrence a label that mixes kitsch, nods to the LGBTQ+ community, and Middle Eastern culture.

And just from what you guessed through the brand’s name, tRASHY clothing is a brand that is fighting all gender and fashion norms ready to make a revolution in the fashion industry of the Middle east. Their goal is to make people doubt the fashion norms and also doubt the picture we framed in our minds about how fashion should be.

The Founder and co-founder of the tRASHY Collective are the ones who launched Cyber Fashion Week where it held the full fashion experience during the global pandemic while all fashion shows got canceled.

Meera Adnan is a Palestinian contemporary RTW label that crosses borders and spaces based in Gaza City.

The Palestinian designer Meera Adnan is on her mission to change the perception of Palestine and Gaza through fashion, despite not having an interest in fashion while growing up, fashion became later her creative way to express the political and social state and reality of her homeland.

“Our work focuses on reclaiming narrative and is influenced by religious, political, and local references that create a romantic and nostalgic visual monologue from the City Under Siege. We aim to build a platform for Palestinian creativity that we would like to have in future Palestine.”

Nöl Collective was founded by Yasmeen Mjalli. It’s an intersectional feminist and political fashion collective located in Ramallah, Palestine.

The idea behind Nöl Collective came from experiences and frustrations about sexual harassment and the reality (of patriarchy) of Palestine and the Arab Society (MENA Region).

It was their way to showcase the diversity in the Arab society, create a collective that voiced out their opinions, and also as a means of communication.

The Collective “work[s] at the intersection of feminism, Palestinian culture, ethical fashion, and social justice.”

Besides being a fashion brand that works with locals, Nöl Collective also offers feminist education for young women in Palestine, while working directly with Palestinian artisans and locals, keeping all apparel production within a factory in Gaza.