< PreviousCHAPTER 1: The First Glimpse Through the Kaleidoscope GME_011_OPENERS_13374732.indd 801/10/2024 20:52ART BIANCA DOMINIQUE GME_011_OPENERS_13374732.indd 901/10/2024 20:52THE KEFFIYEH THROUGH THE AGES BY MAYA ABUALI How an ancient garment became an iconic emblem of resilience and identity 10 GME_011_010to015_TheHistoryOfTheKeffiyah_13393209.indd 1001/10/2024 20:50For a set of threads strung together on a loom, the keffi yeh has the potential to elicit a profound array of human emotions. Ask any local in the Levant, Saudi Arabia, or Iraq, and they might say it’s simply a time-honoured element of their customary dress. But to many others, it carries the weight of so much more. The feelings a keffi yeh evokes — hope, strife, resistance, pride, dissent, or comfort — depends on the wearer and the moment. With perspectives from historians, culture experts, and designers, GRAZIA takes a closer look at the keffi yeh’s rich past and its multivalence. For Roberta Ventura, the Italian-born founder of Social Enterprise Project (SEP) – which employs Palestinian and Jordanian refugee women to hand-embroider modern versions of keffi yehs – her enchantment with the garment began at an early age. “Ever since I was a child traveling to North Africa and the Middle East, I was mesmerised by the keffi yeh, whether black and white or colourful,” Roberta tells GRAZIA. “I would go into a trance looking at it… even as a kid, without knowing the history, there was something so powerful about this scarf.” The threads of the keffi yeh we see most commonly today are laden with symbolism: the intersecting straight lines trace ancient trade routes, with white standing for hope, black for strife. The fi shnet pattern symbolises a connection to the sea, while the olive-leaf pattern honours the cultural ties to the olive tree. But these stories are a mere thread in a much older, more elusive tapestry that whose tendrils reach into ancient times. KEFFIYEH’S ORIGINS: FROM PRIESTLY REGALIA TO DESERT WEAR Dating back to Sumerian priests in Mesopotamia around 1300 BCE, the keffi yeh (or hattah) once denoted honour and status. The word itself, derived from the city of Kufa in Iraq, translates to ‘from Kufa’, though the garment eventually wove itself into traditional attire throughout most of the Middle East. Initially donned by priests to signify their rank, the piece’s signifi cance evolved as it spread across time and space, from priesthood to parochialism. Over time, the keffi yeh was adopted by Bedouins and farmers as a pragmatic measure, shielding wearers from the desert’s harsh sand, wind, and dust. In form, it was generally a large square cloth draped over the head and secured with a black cord known as an ‘aqal’. Though ornamental today, the aqal served a practical function: when untied, it could be used to hobble a camel’s legs. “It was and is used throughout the Middle East by everyone, including Muslims and Christians,” Dr. Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University, tells GRAZIA. “It’s become part of the national dress in some countries and comes in diff erent colours and patterns.” Before its black-and-white style became widely adopted, these colours and patterns varied with each region, refl ecting local pride. Communities across the Middle East tailored the fabric – usually cotton, silk, or fi ne wool – to their needs and environment. GRAZIAMA GAZINE. COM11 GME_011_010to015_TheHistoryOfTheKeffiyah_13393209.indd 1101/10/2024 20:5012GRAZIAMA GAZINE. COM GME_011_010to015_TheHistoryOfTheKeffiyah_13393209.indd 1201/10/2024 20:50By the 19th and early 20th centuries, the keffi yeh had become a visual shorthand for identity, delineating not only region but also class, tribe, and profession. A high-status Bedouin, for instance, could be recognised by the gold thread fi nely woven into the ropes of wool or camel hair securing their cloth. The red keffi yeh – today a distinct feature of national dress in Jordan, Iraq, and the Gulf regions – did not emerge until around 1930, or so the story goes. The black- and-white photographs from this era make it diffi cult to verify the exact colours worn then. What we do know is that Jordanians once sported a wide range of keffi yehs from plain white to brightly coloured patterns like those seen today in Sudan. Art historian and Palestinian-Jordanian culture expert Widad Kawar fi rmly attributes the shift towards the red keffi yeh to the arrival of British offi cer John Bagot Glubb, teasingly known among Jordanians as ‘Glubb Pasha’, even today. Glubb himself claimed that he incorporated the red hattah as part of the uniform for Desert Patrol, a Bedouin unit he founded in the Arab legion at that time. Could this shift have been an early British colonial tactic to create ideological divisions between Palestinians and Jordanians? Perhaps. What is certain, however, is that the 1930s saw the keffi yeh evolve from a humble head covering for village workers to a tool of resistance for all. RURAL REBELLION TO GLOBAL ICON Wrapped around the faces of guerilla fi ghters during the 1936 Arab revolt, the keffi yeh now not only protected its wearer from the sun but from identifi cation by the colonial forces. The garment became embraced by local rebels, who comprised rural workers. But as the confl ict spread to urban areas the keffi yeh became a liability, standing out against the city-dwellers’ headwear. To counter this, urbanites took on the keffi yeh as well, marking a pivotal moment in the national consciousness as Palestinians from all social strata united in resistance. It was Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), who cemented the keffi yeh’s place as an iconic emblem of solidarity and resistance when in the 1960s he adopted it as a permanent fi xture of his public image. Later champions of the Palestinian cause, including Leila Khaled of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), emerged wearing it in the headscarf style, popularising the garment among Palestinian women in the 1970s. Soon the cloth became indivisible from Palestinian iconography, fi nding its way onto posters, paintings, and cartoons. that page Fashionista Terrorista (four panels), 2010 Giclee print with Swarovski beads on canvas, 100 x 75 cm each, Edition of 2, LAILA SHAWA Copyright: © The Estate of Laila Shawa. Courtesy the Estate of Laila Shawa and October Gallery, London. GRAZIAMA GAZINE. COM13 GME_011_010to015_TheHistoryOfTheKeffiyah_13393209.indd 1301/10/2024 20:51Abroad, the ’60s gave way to the era of countercultural revolutions, and the keffi yeh began to crop up far beyond the borders of the Middle East, fi nding unexpected resonance in Western movements. In the hands (or on the heads) of anti-war activists of this period, the keffi yeh became a deliberate signifi er of those fi ghting against all forms of imperialism and oppression. “For young people, it’s a symbol of equality, freedom, and human rights,” Ventura explains. “It’s not just a struggle of one people; people wear it to show who they are. It’s a way of expressing what they believe in.” Artists like Madonna and Pat Benatar, idols of rebellion in late 1970s and ’80s pop culture, began to use the keffi yeh as their own accessory of anti- authoritarian sentiment, separate from the garment’s native origins. This Western integration precipitated a new era for the keffi yeh’s understanding, one marked by appropriation rather than solidarity. RESISTANCE TO RUNWAY: AN APPROPRIATIVE TURN If you were a fashion enthusiast in the early 2000s, you might have wondered: “Have I seen this pattern in another context, perhaps in the form of a slinky tank top worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in SATC? Or maybe it was a keffi yeh- print mini skirt at Topshop or an unassuming pillow at Urban Outfi tters in the 2010s?” Any of these guesses would be spot on. By the time the 2000s rolled around, the keffi yeh had been co-opted by mainstream fashion, mass-produced and sold in department stores. Anu Lingala, Cultural Strategist and Founder of Revisionary, explained to GRAZIA that due to ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Palestine was not top of mind for most of the Western youth. Now divorced entirely from its original meaning in the West, the keffi yeh was worn largely without awareness of its symbolic weight. “In this pre-social-media era, most of the hipsters wearing the keffi yeh during this time frame were simply unaware of its association with Palestine,” Lingala explains. Social media would soon give rise to what we now recognise as ‘call-out culture’, where political awareness and cultural sensitivity would become integral in mainstream youth culture. By the 2020s, the keffi yeh had become a fl ashpoint for debates around cultural appropriation, with controversies arising over its use in high fashion and Western retail. 14GRAZIAMA GAZINE. COM GME_011_010to015_TheHistoryOfTheKeffiyah_13393209.indd 1401/10/2024 20:51NOW MORE THAN EVER, AN ICONIC EMBLEM Today, the keffi yeh is omnipresent in activist circles, refl ecting global outrage and support for the Palestinian struggle. At this critical moment in time, the garment wields profound power, capable of stirring intense emotions in every context it inhabits. Designer Sylwia Nazzal, whose lace keffi yehs have appeared on stage at Coachella (atop the head of Palestinian rap artist Saint Levant) and on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (crowning Palestinian-Chilean pop-star Elyanna), highlights the garment’s enduring aura. “The keffi yeh is now banned in certain countries [in governmental or school buildings] due to the heaviness of weight in its relation to Palestine,” Sylwia explains. “It is the most important symbol to preserve… wearing it signifi es you believe in [the Palestinian] right to exist. Regardless of whether it is re- interpreted or not, its power holds more than any form it takes.” Given the keffi yeh’s widespread use and its varied roots across the Middle East, many in the region see it not primarily as a symbol of political resistance or peace, but as a cherished element of traditional attire. “There is a context in which the keffi yeh is a political symbol, and there are other contexts which it’s not,” Dr. Haykel affi rms. “When I wear it, I’m not wearing it for political reasons – I wear it as a scarf because I think it’s beautiful. Here in America, maybe it’s an anti-war symbol, but in my village in Lebanon, the goat herder would not think of it as part of a political symbol at all.” Yet for those deeply connected to the Palestinian struggle, the keffi yeh transcends mere fashion. As Maya Abdallah, a Palestinian-American infl uencer, actress and keffi yeh designer asserts, “Seeing people wearing the keffi yeh, it’s like a sense of relief that we’re not fi ghting alone anymore.” GRAZIAMA GAZINE. COM15 GME_011_010to015_TheHistoryOfTheKeffiyah_13393209.indd 1502/10/2024 20:42TRADITION MEETS TREND Speaking with some of the region’s most inspiring women, GRAZIA delves deeper into the traditional fashion of the GCC and its evolution COMPILED BY OLIVIA MORRIS Images courtesy of Aquillora, 1309 Studios, Salfa 16GRAZIAMA GAZINE. COM GME_011_016to019_TheModernisationOfTheAbaya_13395375.indd 1603/10/2024 09:35DANA AL FAHIM Emirati designer and founder of luxury fabric label FREYA “Tradit ional fashion holds a unique place in my heart, as it beaut ifu y captures t he e ence of our culture. Through it, I can honour my heritage while expre ing my individuality, blending t he richne of tradit ion wit h a modern, personal touch. The abaya represents a d p connect ion to tradit ion, embodying elegance, modesty, and a sense of t imele grace. It signifies t he complet ion of an ensemble, reflect ing t he cultural heritage and values t hat are pa ed down t hrough generat ions. Over t he years, t he abaya has evolved into a true art ist ic expre ion. It has transformed into a versat ile canvas, a owing creat ivity to flourish t hrough intricate beadwork, vibrant colours, luxurious textures, and innovat ive pat terns. This evolut ion showcases t he fusion of heritage wit h contemporary fashion, creat ing a dialogue betw n t he past and t he present.” MERIAM ABDULAZIZ Emirati designer and founder of her eponymous brand “The abaya holds deep cultural significance for me. It’s more than just a garment; it represents elegance and a strong connection to my heritage. Wearing the abaya makes me feel connected to my roots, while also allowing me to express my identity with a deep sense of honour. It is a symbol of modesty, but also empowerment, offering both tradition and individuality. Over the years, the abaya has evolved beautifully in the world of fashion and creativity. Designers are reinterpreting this iconic piece by experimenting with bold colours, intricate embroidery, and unconventional cuts, transforming it into a statement of modern sophistication, while its essence remains rooted in tradition.” JAWAHER AL SUWAIDI Emirati entrepreneur and content creator “The abaya is part of my culture but also part of my identity. The abaya, to me, is the epitome of confi dence, comfort and empowerment. The modernisation of the abaya has been the most beautiful change to me. It’s been so much fun experimenting with diff erent colours and patterns. Today’s patterned abayas have been a drastic change from how abayas used to be, and this has to be my favourite style by far. I was always proud of wearing the abaya but I am truly enjoying wearing it even more now! I express myself best through traditional fashion with a modern twist. I love mixing fashion styles but also staying in touch with my culture by wearing a dress with a traditional cut or abaya with colourful prints. There’s so much you can do with Emirati fashion.” GRAZIAMA GAZINE. COM17 GME_011_016to019_TheModernisationOfTheAbaya_13395375.indd 1703/10/2024 09:35Next >