Story
The Artisan
“I love making things that are beautiful and will be useful to someone, and I love that it is a way of emptying the stress out of your body. When we work, we forget a little the crises that we went through.”
- Oshana artisan, Faten.
The Design
The pattern is inspired by ancient Palestinian embroidery patterns. We called it Yarmouk as an ode to the Yarmouk area in Damascus which served as a host for Palestinian refugees in Syria.
Embroidery in Palestine is a skill passed down through the generations- grandmother to daughter, daughter to granddaughter, and so on. It is seen as vital to the Palestinian identity, used both to decorate homes and for income generation. Palestinian embroidery is extremely beautiful, displaying an extraordinary boldness and richness in both pattern and colour, and always hand-stitched.
The Impact
70% of the sale goes to Oshana, which was established inside Syria in 2012 in response to the escalating war and it’s devastating consequences for families all over the country. Today, Oshana works with women to create exquisite hand-embroidered and hand-crocheted items, providing a crucial income, a supportive community, and a creative outlet for trauma.
