April 7 marks six months since Israel's deadly bombardment of Gaza began, and people around the world continue to look to support Palestinians and their livelihoods. While many have decided to donate to charity, others help local brands stay afloat amid the crisis.
There are countless Palestinian artisans in Gaza and West Bank who hand-make beautiful products. Dozens of stores sell these wares, with funds going directly back to their makers.
Here are 15 brands that have online stores, offering worldwide shipping.
Taita Leila
The name of this social enterprise is an amalgamation of a colloquial Arabic term for grandmother used across the Levant, and Leila Hussein Fakhri Khalidi, author of The Art of Palestinian Embroidery.
Taita Leila sells modern clothing inspired by the tradition of Palestinian embroidery, or tatreez, reinterpreting the techniques “in a way that would make your grandmother proud”.
The clothes are handmade in Palestine by women in the West Bank, and can be delivered anywhere in the world.
www.taitaleila.com
Jeel Design
Jeel, which means generation in Arabic, is a multidisciplinary design house that specialises in old Palestinian embroidery with a 1970s aesthetic. “We aim to preserve heritage through preserving old Palestinian embroidery for generations to come,” reads its bio on Instagram.
A team of in-house and external designers and artists create modern pieces that express history. This includes accessories, furniture and artwork.
It has offices in Dubai and Ramallah, and items can be shipped around the world from the UAE.
jeeldesign.etsy.com
Nol Collective
An intersectional feminist and political fashion collective, Nol manufactures apparel and accessories with small family-run businesses and women’s co-operatives in the West Bank and Gaza. Products range from jewellery and clothing to accessories and even handmade soap.
The online store sells pieces from a range of Palestinian brands, including clothing line Hind Hilal, jeweller Mai Zarkawi and Straps by Sarab, a line of yoga mat straps sporting traditional motifs and handmade by women from Al Amari Refugee Camp Centre.
“The production process is designed to help revive the local textile industry, supporting local artisans,” reads a statement on its website. “These garments represent to us the transcendence of the creative process and of the collective over physically imposed borders, signifying an act of defiance in and of itself.”
nolcollective.com
Dar Noora
Designer Noora Khalifeh reinterprets traditional tatreez in a modern way, with women across Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem carrying out the needlework.
The clothing and accessories are elegant and feminine, with items such as thobes, abayas, kaftans, skirts, dresses and jackets all available to buy online. Queen Rania has been spotted wearing one of Khalifeh's pieces.
Check out the Sunbird collection, which includes clutches and scarves. Khalifeh chose the sunbird as a symbol of freedom, “spreading his wings in his skies of Palestine”.
darnoora.com
Holy Land Boutique
This online store sells pieces from various designers all based in Palestine. Buy a beautiful coaster, for example, handmade by Shireen Salman, who was born in Jerusalem in 1986, and whose great-grandfather was a jeweller and her father owns an antique shop. She also makes postcards and cloth posters.
You’ll find everything from blazers to belts and tote bags on the store, too.
“At Holy Land Boutique, we aim to liberate art and free it from the shackles of restrictions and social pressures,” reads a message on its website.
www.holylandboutique.com
Hirbawi Keffiyeh Weavery
The weavery in Hebron is widely said to be the last to make keffiyehs, the traditional scarf worn around the head or neck, in Palestine. It was opened by Yasser Hirbawi in 1961 and in its heyday produced 150,000 keffiyehs per year.
By 2010, however, following an influx of imported products, this dropped to 10,000.
Since October 7, when Israel launched a military operation on Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas attack, demand locally and abroad for the scarf has been soaring.
“It’s not one-fold or two-fold, it’s more,” Joudeh Hirbawi, the factory’s owner, told The National.
www.hirbawi.ps
Sunbula
Carol Morton, the wife of a reverend from St Andrews Scottish Church in Jerusalem, founded a modest craft shop in 1988, which grew to become Sunbula in 1996. It’s a non-profit fair trade organisation that supports marginalised women and communities in the West Bank, Gaza and other Palestinian communities within Israel through the selling of artisanal crafts.
Morton aims to promote Palestinian women’s rights and economic empowerment by providing their handicrafts.
The online store sells everything from clothing and homeware to accessories to children’s toys. It also has a section dedicated to face masks.
www.sunbula.org
El Bustan
El Bustan, which means “the garden” in Arabic, is headquartered in London, but works with artisans, women’s co-operatives, entrepreneurs and factories in and from Palestine, to bring their creations to an international audience, as it offers delivery across the world.
You’ll find home and lifestyle items galore on the online store, with everything from calligraphic artwork to dainty jewellery and contemporary clothing to handcrafted kitchen utensils, even books.
The website includes a wealth of information about the products and their talented designers.
www.elbustan.com
Fyrouzi
This online store, which is headquartered in the UAE, focuses on the centuries-old ceramic industry in Palestine. Palestinian pottery is known for its intricate details and Arabesque patterns, and each ceramic work goes through a week-long process during which it’s shaped, dried, cleaned, smoothed and fired, before the artists paint and glaze.
Fyrouzi, which means turquoise in Arabic, provides handmade pieces from Palestine, from bowls to lanterns and coffee sets to ashtrays, with shipping across the UAE within two to three days.
fyrouzi.com
Hilweh Market
You’ll find purses and plates, bowls and blouses, cushions and calligraphy coasters at this artisanal boutique featuring items from Palestine and the Arab world.
“Through sustainable local partnerships with designers, makers and craftsmen and women, we help shed light on forgotten stories through beautiful objects while supporting their powerful and creative practices,” reads a statement on the website.
www.hilwehmarket.com
Darzah
Darzah began with a mission to empower women in the West Bank. Today, it works with 26 female artisans and other partners; for every dollar spent, 80 per cent goes towards the makers themselves.
All of the products are handmade and fair trade-certified, with a focus on tatreez. There are sandals, pillow covers, bags, aprons, masks and boots to choose from, just to name a few. It also offers customers the opportunity to design a custom pair of hand-embroidered wedding shoes.
It’s a project of Child’s Cup Full, a non-profit social enterprise that empowers women in Palestine by creating job opportunities.
www.darzah.org
Ajdadi Collective
Founded by Dubai resident Zak Jarallah in 2021, this brand combines streetwear with the time-honoured Palestinian embroidery style tatreez. Collaborating with female artisans in Palestine, it is also a social enterprise, given the women a financial lifeline, as well as the opportunity to keep the centuries-old craft alive.
“In Arabic, ajdadi means ancestors. The premise of the brand is to celebrate our forefathers,” Jarallah told The National. “While Ajdadi is my story, it's also common to so many other Palestinians. So the full name reflects a collective of us coming together and celebrating our unity and identity.”
www.instagram.com/ajdadi.collective
PaliRoots
An apparel brand, PaliRoots was founded in 2016 with the purpose of spreading awareness about Palestinian culture through clothes. All the products are hand-sewn and each is inspected by an independent agency to ensure top quality.
“With the brand, we explore, celebrate and share Palestinian culture in a modern and positive way,” reads a message on its website.
www.paliroots.com
Nine Seven Zero Rising
Named after the country dialling code of Palestine, this apparel brand's thoughtfully designed apparel and accessories incorporate traditional motifs, colours and symbols that reflect Palestinian identity.
“Our mission is to provide individuals with a platform to wear their support for Palestine proudly and expressively,” the brand says.
970rising.com
Watan
An art studio founded in Chicago in 2015 and dedicated to exploring Palestinian heritage and identity, Watan has storefronts in the US, as well as Amman, Jordan. Its online platform, which is also a store, is meant to be a “visual encyclopaedia” about Palestine, selling everything from art and fashion to books and homeware.
Watan also hosts workshops, lectures and events at its locations and aims to be “an additional space for Palestinians to learn about and explore their cultural and intellectual heritage”.
watanpalestine.com
