Name/Title
Camp Dress (1970s)Entry/Object ID
2021.005Tags
On ViewDescription
This is an elegant modern version of the traditional Palestinian thobe produced at a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon in the late 1970s. This style of dress was referred to as a “Camp Dress'', due to its mode of production and sale. This particular dress is similar to dresses produced by INAASH workshops, a Lebanese organization established in the 1960s that has trained and empowered thousands of Palestinian women in the refugee camps, and is still active today.
In an effort to satisfy a commercial need at the time for Palestinian embroidered items, charitable organizations and NGOs that employed Palestinian refugee women in the camps produced various items such as cushions, bookmarks, shoulder purses, and wall hangings that became very popular, and were subsequently copied throughout the world. During this time, Israeli groups had begun acquiring and selling Palestinian embroidery items, claiming Israeli heritage.
The intentional labeling on the inner lining of the dress that states "Embroidered by Palestinian Women according to Traditional designs" is a direct response to the rise of Israeli cultural appropriation.Collection
Permanent CollectionClothing/Dress/Costume Details
Article of Clothing/Dress/Costume
DressClothing Sex
FemaleTextile Details
Fabric
PolyesterMaterial
Cotton threadLining
Synthetic MaterialSewing Stitch Type
Cross Stitch
