WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY Sara Belkadi
Every London Fashion Week, there is always something I’m still surprised by, whether it’s a fresh designer, a stand-out piece or a new ‘it girl’. This season, I was surprised by something a little deeper than that. SEP the brand‘s “Make Fashion Week Meaningful: Dress Code Keffiyeh” event did exactly what it set out to do and injected some much-needed mindfulness and community spirit to London’s packed runway schedule.
Held at Bread & Butter Lounge in Shoreditch, the event showcased the brand’s keffiyeh designs and invited one and all to show their support through their style. There was a buzz in the air that felt vastly different to other fashion week events – knowing that everyone in the room was there because of a shared support for Palestine created a warmness that was much needed in a dark time.
As an Arab myself, I can say that all good conversation happens around food. Over bites of falafel and swipes of hummus, donated by King of Falafel in Camden, attendees shared their ideas, grief and hopes for a brighter future. Style is often talked about as a form of self expression, but here it was about a community that is outside of yourself. Everyone brought their personal flair, made the scarves stand out even stronger. One Palestinian attendee tearfully shared “this space just doesn’t exist where I’m from,” showing just what creating spaces like this means to people.
Tigs Louis-Puttick, co-organiser behind SEP’s keffiyehs, shared, “We source the material in Italy and then bring it to the Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan. We employ 500-600 Palestinian women as both artisans for the keffiyehs and as teachers to pass on the skill of embroidery. We also fund health and education programs in the camps.”
Marti Salip, another organiser, explained, “It’s about building infrastructure that gives them a space and a salary. They might be refugees but that doesn’t fully define them. They are people with skills, jobs and lives.” He also shared his personal connection to the scarf:“I grew up with them all around me. Where I’m from we call them ‘Palestina’ so it was always a strong symbol of resistance. I grew up with activism but then my chosen career was fashion. I always found it difficult to find a way to bring that together and this garment does that.”
When I asked Louis-Puttick how she got involved, she told me about her time working in search and rescue in the Mediterranean: “I spent five or six years out in the boats to help migrants. When you see the hard end of the border, it does radicalise you.”
The evening was set to the tune of Olivia Melkonian – better known as Zaytoona – mixing Palestinian music with dance hall beats and bringing the two worlds together. “It’s important to not lose sight of why we’re doing this,” she told me. “Even though we’re in an environment where people are enjoying themselves.. It’s a time to recognise what’s going on and raise money as well as awareness”.
The DJ, who is of Armenian heritage, shared her personal history with the keffiyeh. “During the time of Armenian resistance, Armenians were trained by the PFLP (Popular Front For The Liberation of Palestinian). They would wear the keffiyeh to differentiate themselves from others during the resistance against Azeri and Turkish forces. I love seeing people wear it in the street because you give each other a nod and show solidarity. It’s important to know the history of it and not let it be caught up as a trend. People lose their life wearing this. It’s an absolute honour and privilege to get to wear it and that’s not something we can take lightly.”
If you didn’t get to make it, don’t be disheartened – keep an eye on SEP the brand and Bread & Butter Lounge on Instagram for their monthly pop ups for Palestine. If you’re a Londoner, you can also think about joining the National March for Palestine on Saturday 21 September starting at 12pm from Lime Station.
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