Yasmeen Mjalli, the founder and creative director of Nöl Collective, maintains close relationships with her suppliers but has never met the women who weave the Majdalawi fabric she uses in her collections. Despite the proximity of her home in Ramallah to Gaza, communication with the women in the besieged coastal strip is limited to WhatsApp. Gaza is often referred to as an “open-air prison” due to Israeli laws that restrict movement in and out of the area. The Majdalawi fabric is woven using a foot-operated machine and originates from the occupied Palestinian village of al-Majdal Asqalan. Nöl Collective works with local women’s cooperatives in Gaza to create sustainable and stylish clothes that combine traditional Palestinian designs with modern cuts. The brand, which means “loom” in Arabic, was created as a community-based project after Mjalli’s experiences with sexual harassment. The initiative aims to consider the intersection of fashion with issues such as women’s rights, labor conditions, and economic frameworks. The clothes are made using natural dyes and incorporate traditional designs like tatreez, Palestinian embroidery. Prices for the garments start at around $48. Nöl Collective partners directly with local women’s cooperatives, family-run sewing workshops, and artisans to maintain a hyper-local and traceable production process. The brand’s relationships with its producers are built over time through personal meetings. Shipping can be affected by the realities of life under Israeli occupation, leading to pre-orders with changing shipping dates. Ultimately, Mjalli hopes to transition Nöl Collective into a storytelling platform rather than a clothing brand, focusing on sharing stories about the Palestinian people and the land.
The Intersection of Palestinian Design and Sustainable Clothing: Unveiling the Political Nature of Fashion
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