Palestyle: Helping Palestinian Refugees

By Chere Di Boscio

We don’t usually feature leather baed brands in Eluxe – we strongly feel that vegan fashion is the way forward! However, due to the fact that Palestyle’s mission is to help one of the most oppressed nations in the world, and because they 100% assure us that the leather they’re using IS a byproduct of the meat industry, we will make an exception for this brand.

Due to the 1948 Palestine War, around 85% (720,000 people) of the population from what was known then as Palestine (and what is partly called Israel today) were forced from their homes. They fled to the West Bank, Gaza strip, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, where they and their descendants today are still being kept from their ancestral homes as a result of Israeli policies and illegal settlements. Consequently, the Palestinian Arab refugee and displaced population is the largest in the world, and many Palestinians have difficulty finding well paid full time work.

Palestyle is a high-end, luxury bag brand that brings a stream of regular, well paid work to the many Palestinian Refugee Women who live in the refugee camps scattered all around Jordan and Lebanon. Beyond a working wage, the company also pays the women who create their bags a percentage of sales from each collection.

Despite living in horribly oppressive conditions for a generation, the Palestinian refugee women inscribe Palestyle’s bags with positive, poetic messages including: The Secret of Your Beauty, The Magic of Your Eyes, So Adorable, Like An Angel and As Charming as the Moon, all beautifully written in gold plated calligraphy.

There’s a wide variety of bag styles on offer here, from cocktail clutches to shoulder bags, purses, and the most perfect, elegant velvet drawstring sack. The bags are for sale throughout Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Lebanon and Qatar, or online at the ethical fashion shop Fashion Compassion.

The fusion of traditional Arabic handicraft techniques and calligraphy with modern colours and styles make these designs a stylish and unique accessory for any outfit, and it’s especially good to know that by making a Palestyle purchase, you’re helping women who would otherwise have had a very difficult time finding rewarding, well-paid work.

Now, if only Palestyle could help stop Israeli settlements…