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In the hands of young designers Palestinian tradition becomes experimental modern fashion. Khawla Taweel, a teacher at Bethlehem's Fashion and Textile Institute, has created a collection where traditional Palestinian cross stitches meet a new surface. Handicraft skills have been passed down from generation to generation, from mother to daughter, and are closely tied to Palestinian identity. In Taweel's fashion this old knowledge is re-introduced in a new, urban form."I wanted to use the tradition and make it modern. I also wanted to show the world the diversity of this country. Not everything here is bombs, tanks and walls. There is life going on here, energy, ambitions, my students and their fashion is a proof of that," Taweel told PNN in Ramallah Wednesday. Tonight's fashion show at Al-Mahatta Gallery in the central West Bank's Ramallah marks the end of a two-month workshop, "Insight Out." The German designer Susanne Kumper has led the cooperative project between the students at the Fashion and Textile Institute and the Goethe Institute.Fashion student Nadine Qumsiyeh's designs are inspired by Latin dance, an art form she began practicing as a little girl. Her current work embodies the lines and movement of the dance. Qumsiyeh told PNN this evening that she hopes the movement in her collection will inspire young Palestinians to be innovative in the way they dress. She also intends to raise international awareness of Palestinian fashion as a growing art form. The students' collections are taken to the runway every year, but this year the show will cross the Palestinian border, and make it to Cairo and Berlin. The financial aspects have not been sorted out yet, says Khawla Taweel, but she hopes that all the students will get the chance to follow their fashion on the journey.
Source: Alaan TV
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