Los Angeles, March 2024
Written by Rena Wei
STRUGGLES WOVEN INTO THE KEFFIYEH
Palestinian History and the Significance of the Keffiyeh
Throughout history, fashion has consistently been utilized as a form of expressing one’s background, status, or beliefs without saying anything. One of the most prevalent forms of fashion statements around today is the Palestinian keffiyeh. In the midst of decades-long Israeli occupation and the current genocide of Palestinians, the keffiyeh has resubmerged into the mainstream spotlight. What does this symbolic headscarf mean and what is its historical and cultural significance? Throughout this article, information will be drawn from Hirbawi, the last-standing keffiyeh factory in Palestine.
Los Angeles, March 2024
Written by Rena Wei
STRUGGLES WOVEN INTO THE KEFFIYEH
Palestinian History and the Significance of the Keffiyeh
Throughout history, fashion has consistently been utilized as a form of expressing one’s background, status, or beliefs without saying anything. One of the most prevalent forms of fashion statements around today is the Palestinian keffiyeh. In the midst of decades-long Israeli occupation and the current genocide of Palestinians, the keffiyeh has resubmerged into the mainstream spotlight. What does this symbolic headscarf mean and what is its historical and cultural significance? Throughout this article, information will be drawn from Hirbawi, the last-standing keffiyeh factory in Palestine.
Los Angeles, March 2024
Written by Rena Wei
Palestinian History and the Significance of the Keffiyeh
Throughout history, fashion has consistently been utilized as a form of expressing one’s background, status, or beliefs without saying anything. One of the most prevalent forms of fashion statements around today is the Palestinian keffiyeh. In the midst of decades-long Israeli occupation and the current genocide of Palestinians, the keffiyeh has resubmerged into the mainstream spotlight. What does this symbolic headscarf mean and what is its historical and cultural significance? Throughout this article, information will be drawn from Hirbawi, the last-standing keffiyeh factory in Palestine.
After Palestinian rebels wore the keffiyeh in the 1930s Arab Revolt against the British Empire, it continued to become a symbol of Palestinian struggle and independence against “Israel.” It was also consistently worn by former Palestinian president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Yasser Arafat. In fact, Arafat was rarely ever seen without one. Hirbawi emphasizes that the keffiyeh solidified its name as a “global expression of Palestinian identity” during the thirty years Israel banned the Palestinian flag from the late 1960s to the early 1990s.
The keffiyeh is identifiable by its trademark patterns: fishnets, bold lines, and olive leaves, all with deep roots in Palestinian history and livelihood. The olive leaves represent one of the biggest financial pillars of Palestine—olive oil. On top of that, olive trees live for hundreds of years, a “representation of Palestinian resilience and attachment to their land.” The fishnets and bold lines have multiple popular meanings. The fishnet is both regarded as Palestinians' deep connection to the sea, and to some, a form of collectivism “knotting individuals into a wider, stronger entity.” Bold lines are seen as both historic trade routes as well as the barrier to freedom that Palestine faces.
In support of a free Palestine, the Palestinian keffiyeh has become popularized in mainstream fashion. Given its prominence, it’s important to learn and honor the history and struggle it carries within its threads. While there are definitive positives that something so rich in Palestinian history and struggle has reached widespread audiences, this has led to cheap, inauthentic keffiyehs being made and making Palestinian businesses, like Hirbawi, struggle to survive.
After Palestinian rebels wore the keffiyeh in the 1930s Arab Revolt against the British Empire, it continued to become a symbol of Palestinian struggle and independence against “Israel.” It was also consistently worn by former Palestinian president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Yasser Arafat. In fact, Arafat was rarely ever seen without one. Hirbawi emphasizes that the keffiyeh solidified its name as a “global expression of Palestinian identity” during the thirty years Israel banned the Palestinian flag from the late 1960s to the early 1990s.
The keffiyeh is identifiable by its trademark patterns: fishnets, bold lines, and olive leaves, all with deep roots in Palestinian history and livelihood. The olive leaves represent one of the biggest financial pillars of Palestine—olive oil. On top of that, olive trees live for hundreds of years, a “representation of Palestinian resilience and attachment to their land.” The fishnets and bold lines have multiple popular meanings. The fishnet is both regarded as Palestinians' deep connection to the sea, and to some, a form of collectivism “knotting individuals into a wider, stronger entity.” Bold lines are seen as both historic trade routes as well as the barrier to freedom that Palestine faces.
In support of a free Palestine, the Palestinian keffiyeh has become popularized in mainstream fashion. Given its prominence, it’s important to learn and honor the history and struggle it carries within its threads. While there are definitive positives that something so rich in Palestinian history and struggle has reached widespread audiences, this has led to cheap, inauthentic keffiyehs being made and making Palestinian businesses, like Hirbawi, struggle to survive.
After Palestinian rebels wore the keffiyeh in the 1930s Arab Revolt against the British Empire, it continued to become a symbol of Palestinian struggle and independence against “Israel.” It was also consistently worn by former Palestinian president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Yasser Arafat. In fact, Arafat was rarely ever seen without one. Hirbawi emphasizes that the keffiyeh solidified its name as a “global expression of Palestinian identity” during the thirty years Israel banned the Palestinian flag from the late 1960s to the early 1990s.
The keffiyeh is identifiable by its trademark patterns: fishnets, bold lines, and olive leaves, all with deep roots in Palestinian history and livelihood. The olive leaves represent one of the biggest financial pillars of Palestine—olive oil. On top of that, olive trees live for hundreds of years, a “representation of Palestinian resilience and attachment to their land.” The fishnets and bold lines have multiple popular meanings. The fishnet is both regarded as Palestinians' deep connection to the sea, and to some, a form of collectivism “knotting individuals into a wider, stronger entity.” Bold lines are seen as both historic trade routes as well as the barrier to freedom that Palestine faces.
In support of a free Palestine, the Palestinian keffiyeh has become popularized in mainstream fashion. Given its prominence, it’s important to learn and honor the history and struggle it carries within its threads. While there are definitive positives that something so rich in Palestinian history and struggle has reached widespread audiences, this has led to cheap, inauthentic keffiyehs being made and making Palestinian businesses, like Hirbawi, struggle to survive.
© Forward 2024
"For the Future"
© Forward 2024
"For the Future"
© Forward 2024
"For the Future"