+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

I grew up in the West Bank under military occupation. Now I pay homage to my homeland through my fashion designs.

Jan 21, 2024, 22:23 IST
Insider
Rami Kashou is a fashion designer who incorporates his Palestinian roots in his designs.Courtesy of Rami Kashou
  • Rami Kashou is a Palestinian American fashion designer who has designed gowns for Penelope Cruz and Kim Kardashian.
  • He grew up under military occupation in the West Bank, spending hours sketching to escape.
Advertisement

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Rami Kashou, a Palestinian American fashion designer. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I was born in Jerusalem and raised in the city of Ramallah, a city about a 30-minute drive away. I grew up during the second intifada under the Israeli military occupation.

There were lots of limitations. There were curfews where schools would be shut down and we weren't allowed to leave our house. It was during those times that sketching fashion designs on my school notebooks became my way of coping with the trauma of that type of collective punishment.

I wanted to become a designer ever since I was 7 years old. I spent hours in my room sketching. Sketching is like creating a different reality than the one that was inflicted upon me and every other Palestinian citizen.

Aside from a very dark and dull reality, design became my creation of a world of beauty, of imagination, of the hope that one day, I'd get out of there and make my dream of becoming a clothing designer come true.

Advertisement

A young Rami Kashou in Jerusalem.Courtesy of Rami Kashou

Making clothes as a kid living in the West Bank

Even when I was younger, I was fascinated with fashion. I watched a show called "Style with Elsa Klensch" religiously. When I was 5 years old, my mother died from a blood clot in the brain. My grandmother wore black for over a decade, heartbroken by the loss of her daughter.

But I remember every weekend, when I spent a night with my grandparents, I'd grab my grandmother's hand, take her to the closet, and push the black dresses to the side. I'd pick the colorful ones hidden in the back and ask her to wear something colorful.

I designed clothes for my younger sister's Barbies and dolls, and hand-made outfits for my paper dolls.

In the West Bank, making your own clothes was a way to be fashionable because we don't have much access to the rest of the world. I grew up around women who loved clothes. When I was 12, I went to the local seamstress with my stepmother and her friends. They would bring yards of fabric and I'd design their ensembles, and the seamstress would make them into real outfits.

Discovering freedom in America

I moved to America after graduating from high school with the blessing and support of my family, which has been a true privilege. Coming from the reality I was born and raised in — where you might live two hours away from the beach, but you're not allowed to go because of military checkpoints — I was shocked to learn that this wasn't the way the rest of the world was.

Advertisement

In the US, I realized that they do have access to a life of freedom, of movement, and people can thrive career-wise and live without constant threat or interruption.

I didn't finish design school and instead decided to establish myself through retail. I started a boutique in Hollywood, and it grew from there. I started dressing celebrities like Paris Hilton, Penelope Cruz, and Kim Kardashian on the red carpet.

A gown Kashou designed for Project Runway's freedom-themed challenge pays homage to Palestine.Project Runway

Paying homage to my homeland

I've lived in two different worlds — two different countries and cultures. When you're living in the diaspora, you end up in a sort of in-between space.

My style embodies the strength of the women I grew up around. There's a lot of poetry in the movement. I like to use soft and fluid fabrics that come to life when worn. Draping comes from a culture where women drape themselves in fabric, whether it's a shawl, a veil, or a long dress. That element of formality is mixed with a global sensibility, inspired by the US and the red carpet.

In the past five years, I consciously decided to imbue my culture and roots into my designs. During the pandemic lockdown, I worked with a group of women refugees to hand-embroider a beautiful tree of life motif. I wanted to share how we document our heritage, our surroundings, and our history through the art form of embroidery.

Advertisement
One of Kashou's designs featuring Palestinian hand embroidery.Courtesy of Rami Kashou

I also wanted to connect the women through the creative process and for the women buying these pieces to learn more about Palestinian culture aside from the headlines in the mainstream media. It's a form of reconnection with my own roots and identity, too.

Sharing more about my Palestinian identity and culture is also sharing that there is beauty everywhere in the world, and it also exists in Palestine.

You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article