"Intifada OBI" inspired by intifada dress, Palestinian thobe embroidered with 🇵🇸flags worn at protests. This obi was embroidered by 6 refugee women in Gaza, we don't even know if they are alive.
I want to share beauty and resilience of Palestinian culture through this OBI.
-from the Twitter account of Maki Yamamoto, founder of the Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project
💟 solidarity from the peoples of brazil to the people of palestine—
last year, @fairuzfan suggested that people make art in support of palestine. i planned something that was supposed to be posted on the last strike, but it took me longer than expected.
it's finished now! this is in solidarity with palestinians, including palestinian-brazilians, who have been working tirelessly for justice in brazil as well.
i chose to highlight aspects of the land that are important to palestinians and the palestinian cause: the olive trees, jaffa oranges, the figs, poppies, faqqua irises and the palestinian mountain gazelle. the figure of the woman itself is wearing the traditional thobe and headwear of ramallah, which i found! so beautiful!
for the brazilian figure i asked my grandma what she used to wear and what our family used to plant decades ago, when she lived in the northeastern countryside (she is way more familiarised with the land than me). had some help from friends of the region as well, so i drew a jaguar, manioc roots, corn, cashews, sweet potatoes, a carnaúba palm tree and mandacaru flowers.
some of those, such as manioc roots and mandacaru cacti, remind me of resilience and the sustaining of life in difficult times, and what they may allow to flourish and to go on:
vida e não apenas sobrevida. that is, "life and not only survival!"
may palestine and it's people live! live free from every form of oppression that allowed this genocide, this nakba to take place.
inspirations & sources bellow the cut.
inspired by the art of sliman mansour and dana barqawi, as well as palipunk & orangeblossombitch @ tumblr and nadasink @ instagram.
the books recommended by @palipunk (much thanks to you for making them available)
♥️ palestinian costume por jehan rajab
♥️ palestinian costume por shelagh weir
♥️ traditional palestinian embroidery and jewelry por abed al-samih abu omar
al-jazeera documentary about the preservation of palestinian thobes (i do not understand arabic yet but! it allowed me to have a closer look at the coins and headwear):
sites about tatreez
♥️ https://www.folkglory.com/ (i based the chest pannel on this item from their shop here.)
♥️ https://www.tatreezandtea.com/
♥️ https://tirazain.com/archive
For my appearance at the Met Gala, I wanted to create something deeply personal- a reflection of Mumbai, the city that has shaped my journey, my cinema, and my sense of design, along with the atelier that brings my vision to life every day- my work family. There is nothing like a classic Indian bandhgala- here layered with an architectural cape, brought to life over 960 hours by more than 50 artisans across Mumbai and Delhi. For me, this is more than a garment- it is a story of craft, memory, and collaboration.
Dori, zardozi, chikankari, and kasab embroidery come together as a narrative. Woven into the piece are the names and signatures of the artisans themselves- a tribute to every hand and every moment that shaped it. Intricate hand-embroidery serves as references to Mumbai’s cinematic landmarks, while three-dimensional sculptural elements celebrate the artisans of his atelier who crafted the piece.
This look is both a celebration and a reminder - of where we come from, and how Indian craftsmanship continues to find its place on a global stage.
jbbartram-illu
jacobvanloon
prguitarman
blakekathryn
izzy806
gummygunk
