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Look #1
Look #2
Look #3
Look #4
LOOK #1
Description: Silk Cotton Dress with long sleeve cuff detail and a metal key accessory with text that reads: "Our Freedom is Linked"
The dress's color tone and shine represents calm and peace while the accessory of the metal key with silk organza represents a powerful message that can be interpreted in two ways. 1- The key to freedom is for humanity to band together against injustice. Until we realize that our freedom is linked we too will not be free. 2- Many Palestinians were exiled and killed out of their homelands in 1948. Israeli settlers took control of their lands and homes. Those displaced often still carry the keys to their now occupied or destroyed homes.
LOOK #2
Description: Silver iridescent fabric with link chains that lead to a dove carrying an olive branch
This dress was inspired by the phrase: "We are not free till we are all free." The dove with olive branch symbolizes what the chains can become: peace, when we work toward each others liberation and rights.
THE STORY:
We are not free till everyone is free. We are not free till we see all humans as human. Till we understand that our skin and locality are not reasons for division, but bridges so we "may know one another" (Quran 49:13.)
We are not free while we ignore atrocities across the globe. We are slaves to the belief that we are better than others, untouchable - as if we earned our places in life when it was luck that brought us here. You had no choice in where you were born or who you were born to. Your heart beats and your lungs breather without your control - just as with everyone else.
We are not free till we acknowledge history, not a rewritten, sugar-coated, and palatable version of it.
We are not free till we acknowledge the genocide of natives of this land which got us our "land of the free."
We are not free tille we acknowledge that the "land of the free" was built on the backs of the oppressed and enslaved.
We are not free when we ban books, police students, and silence voices, while deluding ourselves with nonexistent depictions of our reality. We are not free while humanity is murdered and mulitiated in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Haiti, and every other place we turn a blind eye to.
It take discomfort and sitting with others in discomfort for us to be truly freed and unshackled.
Human life is not earned, it is given. If your freedom and rights come at the expense of depriving others of theirs, know that you too are not truly free.
LOOK #3
Description: Denim coat with pink cotton tank and linen pants
The denim coat walks out with fringes of different fabrics and materials sourced from across the globe. (SEE TAB: FABRIC) The inner portion of the denim coat which can be seen reversed on the runway -- has wording to bring awareness to the current genocides and to bring attention to history that has either been rewritten or often excluded in American Education.
LOOK #4
Description: Multiple individually sewn canvas pieces with hand sewn soutache ribbon loops all held with ties of fabric representing different parts of the globe. (SEE TAB: FABRIC)
The vest represents how we each are part of a greater puzzle. Each fabric represents a different country, region, or tiribe's textile. The pieces are joined by these ties to convey the harmony and piece humanity can attain when communicating and collaborating. However, if one tie were to be released the garment would start to fall apart this symbolizes wars and conflict. Under the vest is an olive colored top and skirt -- olives are often used as a symbol of peace.
Look #5
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Look #8
LOOK #5
Description: White colored dress with silk organza sleeves and a belt made of Sudanese Gharmases/Jirtig Pattern fabric often woren by Sudanese brides.
The color white is used here to represent a need for peace and freedom. The belt represents Sudan and the ongoing humanitarian crisis that many are unaware of. The violence in Sudan has displaced more than 3 million people including 2.2 million inside the country. (Source: Refugee International)
LEARN MORE:
1- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59035053
2- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68796620
3- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b12lgo_G7Hw
LOOK #6
Description: Beige linen top with patches from across the globe paired with green cotton gauze pants.
The top represents 12-15 countries in patches (SEE TAB: FABRIC). Each fabric represents a different country, region, or tiribe's textile. I wanted to highlight the celebration of different cultures and their traditions while also creating a more street wear modernized look. This is to symbolize that we do not need to sacrifice our own cultural, history, and lineage -- rather we can find ways to highlight them in our day to day looks. Additionally, I feel it highlights the beauty of immigration and shared ideas to create an entirely new piece of art.
LOOK #7
Description: Pink cotton gauze top with pink linen pants paired with a silk organza kaftan with gold soutache detail.
This look just reemphasizes the celebration of different cultures through tulips created using the fabric of different countries, regions, or tribes. (SEE TAB: FABRIC)
LOOK #8
Description: Cape with buttons and silk cotton beige top and green cotton gauze pants
The cape holds 527 hand sewn buttons to bring attention to the ongoing genocide in Palestine and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians that began in 1948. The cape holds 136 bamboo buttons and 391 wood buttons. Each button represents 110 people murdered since October 2023** in Gaza, Palestine. Each bamboo button represents 110 children. Each wood button represents 110 adults.
The cape is held together with a keffiyah fabric.
"The Palestinian keffiyeh (AKA kufiya, shemagh or hatta) is a black and white checkerboard headscarf. The keffiyeh has taken many forms, dating back as far as 3100BC Mesopotamia in the “Kufa” region of Iraq.
In Palestine, the garment was initially only popular among rural workers in the country – the fellah. Its breathability made it an effective way to protect farmers from the harsh sun and sand storms. In contrast, the more urban Palestinains – the effendi – would instead boast a red felt hat called the tarboush.
Over the last century, the keffiyeh has become popularized among the general Palestinian community. It no longer signifies social class, but instead has become a symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance.
Today, the keffiyeh is an unspoken expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people. The garment is worn by human rights activists, politicians, star athletes and even celebrities like David Beckham, Whilst this has sparked up debates about cultural appropriation, it is undoubtedly telling of the keffiyeh’s influence at a global scale.
(Source: Hirbawi | Kufiya.org)
**The number is derived from Al Jazeera Statistics on January 2025. Please note these are conservative estimates due to the destruction of healthcare and journalistic infrastructure
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