- 8 hours ago
While fashion week offers Palestinians some freedom of self-expression, Hailey explores how a country seeking sovereignty defines itself through culture.
This video was originally published by VICE in 2016.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Hailey Gates explores global fashion and issues the industry often ignores, showing us what the world wears, and why.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
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https://youtu.be/VtddBzqe-vE
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https://youtu.be/n61y1Fr_lxE
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https://youtu.be/ybQngyhGtZI
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Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
This video was originally published by VICE in 2016.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Hailey Gates explores global fashion and issues the industry often ignores, showing us what the world wears, and why.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
The Cost of Beauty in Venezuela
https://youtu.be/VtddBzqe-vE
The Streets Of The Congo Turned-Fashion Show
https://youtu.be/n61y1Fr_lxE
Is Style An Act Of Bravery In Pakistan?
https://youtu.be/ybQngyhGtZI
SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29
Follow Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/
Follow Somos on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29somos/
Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00We are in a car with some lion cubs in the back.
00:06I'm feeling pretty terrified.
00:08Nice to meet you.
00:19Really?
00:25Yes.
00:26Wait, we have a runaway.
00:30The fish can kill you and kill you.
00:32Yes.
00:32Yes.
00:32But the animal, if you're looking at it,
00:35it's always going to kill you and attack you.
00:37If you like it, it's just like you see.
00:39It's like the fish.
00:41It's like the fish.
00:44Maybe it's an okay thing to have a lion as a pet in Gaza.
00:49Who am I to say?
01:00So I am packing to go to Fashion Week in Palestine, which I understand even saying out loud is a
01:09contentious statement.
01:11This is a place that in some people's minds doesn't exist.
01:14So there's really no good way to talk about this without angering someone.
01:19I'm really interested to see what this Fashion Week looks like.
01:24Last year it was cancelled because of the war in Gaza.
01:28Conflict obviously dominates the headlines.
01:30So we're in a very strange place in terms of understanding the realities of the situation there.
01:37And the only way to know what it's like there is to go.
01:41So we're going to go.
01:46Getting into the West Bank is complicated.
01:49There are no active airports in the Palestinian territories.
01:52So we had to fly into Tel Aviv and then drive to the border.
01:57This lack of infrastructure is due to a long and tumultuous history of territorial dispute between the Palestinians and Israelis.
02:04Both claim the land as their home.
02:08Whether it's rocket exchange or civil unrest, this ongoing conflict makes headlines on an almost daily basis.
02:20It is within this context that Palestinians have tried to establish a regular Fashion Week.
02:25As a way of forging a national identity and to draw international attention for reasons other than conflict.
02:37So I've just gotten off the airplane.
02:39I'm already very confused as to where I am.
02:41I believe we're driving through Jerusalem at the moment, but I keep having to ask where we are.
02:49The Palestinian territory is split into two parts.
02:52Each area is controlled by a different faction.
02:56Gaza is governed by the militant Islamic organization Hamas.
03:01While the Palestinian areas of the West Bank are controlled by the secular PLO, Palestinian Liberation Organization.
03:09Whilst Gaza is entirely Palestinian, the West Bank is split into three zones, A, B and C.
03:16A zones are Palestinian, B zones are under joint Palestinian-Israeli jurisdiction, and C zones are under Israeli control.
03:23We headed to Ramallah, the de facto capital of the West Bank, where the Fashion Week was being held.
03:30To get there, we had to cross the over 400-mile long wall built by Israel, which encircles the entire
03:36West Bank.
03:37Construction of the wall began in 2002, to put a barrier between the territories.
03:45This is the first up close and personal experience I'm having with the wall.
03:51There's a coil of barbed wire above it.
03:54Apparently, every year, about 40,000 Palestinians make it over that wall one way or another.
04:05We're just in the midst of going through our first checkpoint.
04:09All Palestinian territories are punctuated by Israeli military checkpoints in order to control the flow of people.
04:17Palestinians hold different ID cards depending on whether they're from the West Bank, Gaza or East Jerusalem,
04:23which dictate where and when they can travel in the region.
04:27Checkpoints are inevitable on even the shortest of journeys, and curfews can be implemented at any time.
04:34Theoretically, the only people allowed to travel freely across the region are foreigners.
04:40But access can still be denied by Israeli checkpoint controls.
04:45So, we've just arrived in the West Bank.
04:49Welcome.
04:51But no sooner had we arrived, we received some news.
04:55When I booked my flight to come here, there was a three-day Fashion Week scheduled in Ramallah.
05:01By the time I boarded my flight, it became a one-day fashion show.
05:05And by the time I got off my flight here, it dissolved into some sort of party.
05:12I'm not really sure what's going on.
05:13So, I've come here to figure out where the Fashion Week has gone.
05:22I managed to track down one of the organizers, Thayer, to get some answers about why the Fashion Week wasn't
05:28happening.
05:51Is fashion a big deal here?
06:07And what would it mean for Palestine to have a Fashion Week?
06:22Since the Fashion Week didn't work out, why even have a party?
06:26Because people have been living very difficult, so that's why I'm going to make announcements.
06:38Thayer couldn't give me an exact reason why the event hadn't happened.
06:42But the cancellation of Fashion Week made me wonder whether endeavors of this nature were always at risk of unraveling
06:49here.
06:50I met Christina, a Palestinian who went to college in the U.S. and has now come back to set
06:56up a lingerie business.
06:57She offered to show me around Ramallah the next day.
07:12We're going to go and check out some of the lingerie shops.
07:16It's quite fascinating if you haven't seen it before, if it's your first time seeing it.
07:21I'm very excited.
07:22Yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:24Ramallah is one of Palestine's most liberal cities.
07:27However, many women cover up in traditional Islamic dress.
07:31I had never really had the opportunity to think about what they wore underneath.
07:36You wouldn't think it, you know.
07:38The Middle East in general is known for really crazy out there lingerie pieces
07:43because there's such a huge emphasis played on marriage.
07:47In theory, you haven't had sex before you get married.
07:51Yeah, so that's why it's also such a huge deal, you know.
07:54You want to pick out the most beautiful pieces, have them ready for your wedding night,
08:00and wedding week, and wedding month, and you know.
08:03Wedding month.
08:04Oh, we're right here.
08:06Wow.
08:08This looks like a Halloween shop.
08:11Yeah, you could say that.
08:15Wow.
08:16This is nice.
08:17So you always know where she is, right?
08:19There you go, yeah.
08:22There's a lot of emphasis played on costume, you know, like role-playing.
08:26Right. Yeah.
08:27This is nice.
08:28Occupying their husbands on your wedding night.
08:32I mean, it seems sort of strange to me that in Ramallah there's just a shop like this on the
08:36street.
08:36Are the conservative class of people upset by places like this?
08:41No, I think the more conservative Palestinians actually shop here.
08:47If you're coming from another village outside of Ramallah and you want to come and shop and get prepared and
08:51everything for your wedding, you would come to a store like this.
08:54Whereas someone that lived abroad or more informed about sex and marriage and everything, they wouldn't shop here.
09:00So this is actually more catered to someone like that.
09:04It's really interesting to me to think about a conservative woman who may be wearing hijab, also wearing crotchless panties
09:12underneath.
09:13Wow.
09:13I think there's a freak inside everyone.
09:19Christina is launching Palestine's first ever online luxury lingerie store.
09:24She holds an American passport but was born and raised in Palestine and has decided to launch her business here.
09:31The lingerie that we want to sell, it's for contemporary women to just have access to these products and brands
09:37that aren't accessible here.
09:38But I want to do it here and I feel like that's in a way fighting the occupation.
09:45I think it's important to show that there's other aspects to life here besides what you see on TV.
10:00I'm so scared.
10:03We're playing a game of chicken.
10:05You can tell that we're in the list.
10:07Ramallah Fashion Week may have been cancelled but we heard about a young Palestinian designer, Natalie Tahan, who was determined
10:14to put on her own show later in the week.
10:16She agreed to take us to the workshop in Hebron where her collection was being made under the watchful eye
10:22of manager Iyad.
10:26As you can see it's segregated because in Hebron people tend to be a bit more conservative.
10:30Embroider here is within our tradition and it's actually a language that's used by all the different villages.
10:35Each village has its own motifs, different colors, mean different things about social class, the girl is from, or if
10:41she's married or unmarried.
10:42All of these are hidden messages within the embroidery.
10:44And why is it important to you to reference Palestinian culture in this collection?
10:49Well, as one of the few Palestinian designers, I feel like it's important to showcase that we are able to
10:54achieve something of very high quality to kind of compete with international brands.
10:58Natalie's show was being put on in East Jerusalem, which is under Israeli control.
11:02But Iyad and the team all hold Palestinian West Bank IDs, making it difficult for them to get to the
11:09fashion show.
11:11Is it rare to have a fashion show in Jerusalem?
11:14On the Arab side, it's very rare. This is actually the first of its kind to be done.
11:17Wow!
11:29Well, that make you sad not to see the runway.
11:39It's very clear to me that we take for granted being able to attend events that we've contributed
11:44to in some way.
11:45And the people that work in this factory don't necessarily have that luxury.
11:48I'll be interested to see if they end up making it there.
11:58Unlike Ramallah, which is 100 percent Palestinian, Hebron is a contested city, considered a holy
12:05site by both Muslims and Jews.
12:07Today, the city is divided between Palestinian and Israeli control.
12:11It is the largest city in the West Bank and is historically the center of Palestinian
12:17manufacturing.
12:17But industry here has suffered due to the conflict between the Israeli settlers and
12:23the Palestinian inhabitants.
12:24However, one business that's still going strong is a factory producing one of the most
12:29popular garments of the Middle East.
12:43The keffiyeh became iconic in the 60s when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat began to wear the black
12:50and white version, which then became associated as a symbol of national identity and resistance.
12:56Somewhere along the way, it was reappropriated as a fashion accessory, and I wondered if its
13:01meaning got lost in this translation.
13:04one organization.
13:05Are you the big boss here?
13:07Yeah.
13:08I'm sure.
13:11How long have you been working here?
13:24Can you tell me about the history of this place?
13:28So here's a big boss.
13:39Traditionally, who wears a kofiya?
13:52So this one looks like a Missoni pattern,
13:55and this one is obviously very politically charged.
13:59Where do you come up with the designs for these ones?
14:21Don't move.
14:21OK.
14:25Oh, no.
14:27Oh, no.
14:29You are now half man.
14:31OK.
14:32I have big balls.
14:35Here I am, half man.
14:39Not far from the kofiya factory in Hebron lies Shahada Street,
14:44a place that exists today as a clear example
14:47of how industry can suffer under occupation.
14:50This street used to be the largest marketplace in Hebron
14:54and sort of the city center of commerce.
14:58Behind this checkpoint is under Israeli military control.
15:02There's a tailor sun waiting for me on the other side
15:05to show me what's left of it.
15:08Shahada Street runs through the center of Hebron's old town
15:11and leads to the cave of the patriarchs
15:13where both Muslims and Jews believe Abraham is buried.
15:16This was a busy shopping center and the hub of Palestinian tailoring
15:21until 1994, when the Israeli army closed down hundreds of businesses
15:26as Israeli settlers moved into the area.
15:29All trade ground to a halt.
15:31Today, around 500 Israelis have settled here, guarded by what is arguably
15:37an excessive patrol of at least one soldier per settler.
15:41These settlements are illegal, according to international law.
15:45And despite 20 years of regular protests, the shops have remained closed.
15:49The street can be accessed by foot, but only if you are a tourist,
15:53an Israeli settler, or one of the last remaining Palestinians living on this street.
15:58Like Abdel, whose family once had a successful tailoring business here.
16:02Welcome to Shahada Street.
16:03Okay.
16:05The street was vivid, full of life.
16:07But now, as you can see, it's more like Ghost Town, Ghost Street.
16:11Yeah.
16:11Many shops are closed now. As you can see, they're even welded.
16:15They're all closed.
16:16Yeah.
16:17There are 1,829 shops completely closed.
16:22As Palestinians, we're not allowed to have cars.
16:24For us, even the emergency cases, like,
16:27if we want to have an ambulance here, we're not allowed to have.
16:30So what we do is that we take the patient out,
16:33carrying him or her out the checkpoint,
16:35and the ambulance will be waiting behind the checkpoint.
16:38For example, five years ago, a woman gave birth on that checkpoint,
16:42because the checkpoint was closed,
16:43and they didn't open the gates for her to go out.
16:46That used to be my father's job.
16:50He was a tailor.
16:51Making our dresses, like, the long heels and the...
16:54With the embroidery?
16:55Yes. It was a very successful business.
16:57Oh, yeah.
16:57And still, like, the machines, the clothes, they're still...
17:01Everything is still inside.
17:02So, essentially, this stretch of street is just frozen in time
17:06at the moment it was closed.
17:08Exactly.
17:11So, I live here.
17:13It's my house.
17:14It's beautiful in here.
17:16And this house is around 800 years old.
17:21This...
17:21This is not 800 years old.
17:23This is not 800 years old.
17:25This is very ugly.
17:26But we had to put this for our safety,
17:28because three years ago,
17:30we were stoned by the Israeli settlers who are living here.
17:32If any of these stones hit any of us, it kills.
17:38Let me walk you as far as I can get.
17:46For me, this is where, like, the maximum where I can reach.
17:49The line of the shadow.
17:50Until the shadow here, exactly.
17:52You know, there's no sign, there's nothing that tells you
17:55that you are not allowed to pass if you're a Palestinian.
17:58Uh-huh.
17:59But if you pass, you know, there's a soldier here.
18:01So, he either will detain you, arrest you, beat you up.
18:06So, you don't guess what will happen to you.
18:08I'm sorry, I can't walk with you anymore, but...
18:11That's okay. I don't want you to...
18:12This is where I can...
18:13This is where I can reach.
18:14All right.
18:15All right.
18:15So, take care. Have a good day.
18:17Feels really weird.
18:19None of the soldiers even looked at me,
18:22and I passed over the line.
18:27They just let me go.
18:30I don't know what to say.
18:33Um...
18:36It's so weird to be able to walk over an imaginary line
18:41that somebody can't step over.
18:44And... I don't know.
18:45I don't know.
18:46Sorry.
18:46I don't know what to say.
18:48It's okay.
19:02The energy here is really chaotic.
19:04There are just throngs of people everywhere,
19:06and they're all in front of the cars.
19:09Back in Ramallah, it was race day.
19:12And although it looks like a boys club,
19:14I am here to track down
19:15some of the most celebrated female-style icons of Palestine.
19:20The Speed Sisters are the only all-female racing team
19:24in the whole of the Middle East.
19:26So...
19:27I've been very excited for this moment.
19:33The Speed Sisters team consists of five girls.
19:36Today, two of them were competing in drift races,
19:39where drivers deliberately oversteer on the track
19:42and are judged on their performance.
19:45Would you take one of the Speed Sisters out on a date?
19:48Of course, why not?
19:58Of course, why not?
20:03After the race, Speed Sisters, Betty and Noor,
20:06offered to give me a ride.
20:08At the beginning, when we start racing,
20:10they were like,
20:11what are these girls doing
20:12between all these men and racing?
20:14But when we start getting, like, good scores
20:16and winning the boys,
20:18we win all respect.
20:21She's breaking up with her boyfriend.
20:24She likes to, you know, change.
20:26She gets bored.
20:27Shut up!
20:28You're joking, guys.
20:29Come on.
20:30Is it hard to date here?
20:32Well, thank God I don't date anybody here.
20:34Me too.
20:35They're all very old mentality,
20:37very jealous guys.
20:39Like, they want you to be a certain way?
20:41Yeah.
20:41It's not easy for us.
20:43Like, we're, like, very strong, liberal women.
20:46I don't think any guy would like his girlfriend
20:50to be drifting and racing.
20:53Like, did you ever see a car race driver
20:55with all these nails?
20:57It's hard here, you know?
20:58It's very hard.
20:59Like, really, the mentality is, like,
21:03he can pass.
21:04Like, what's his problem?
21:11He's not even a driver.
21:12Like, for real.
21:13He has this big car.
21:14He doesn't even know how to drive it.
21:16Hold on, girls.
21:18We're going for a hot ride.
21:20But please don't be scared.
21:23Oh, my God.
21:24Oh, my God.
21:25Oh, my God.
21:41I would be intimidated to ask you out on a date if you did that.
21:46It was my turn to get behind the wheel,
21:48but I can't say I'm incredibly gifted at driving stick shit.
21:52Okay, wait, which one's the clutch?
21:53The first one.
21:54This one?
21:54No, the left.
21:55This one.
21:56Now you press gas.
21:57Put a little bit of gas.
21:58And this is the gas.
21:59The other one.
22:00Okay, here.
22:01Go.
22:01Go, go, go, go.
22:06Shit.
22:07Something's wrong.
22:11Something went down.
22:12Shit.
22:14I have to call the mechanic.
22:15I'm so sorry.
22:18Oh, my God.
22:19I feel so horrible right now.
22:20I think I just broke Betty's car.
22:22I don't know what I did.
22:23It's okay.
22:24Is this a car?
22:25No.
22:26Axe.
22:26Axe?
22:27Of course.
22:30We're good.
22:31It's just the axe.
22:33What does that mean?
22:34It's not the gear.
22:34It's just the axe.
22:36I didn't bring my car.
22:38Yes.
22:41Well, thank you so much for spending the day with me.
22:44You're welcome.
22:44I had such a blast with you guys.
22:46It was a lot of fun.
22:47That's great.
22:48The media is obviously fascinated by these girls, but most of the coverage is about how shocked people are that
22:54there are girls in Palestine racing and doing what they do.
22:59Yes, the Speed Sisters defy preconceptions of Middle Eastern women.
23:04But maybe it's a mistake to be surprised that the first all-female racing team has come out of Palestine.
23:10The more time you spend here, the more you realize how much tenacity it takes to get through even the
23:15average day.
23:17We caught back up with Natalie, who had organized a photo shoot to put together a lookbook for her collection
23:23just two days before her show in Jerusalem.
23:32How many looks are you doing today?
23:34Around 40.
23:35What?
23:36Yeah, don't kill her.
23:37So is it rare for a girl to be a model in Palestine?
23:40Yeah.
23:41We are searching for 30 days.
23:43Wow.
23:44And then we get one or two, and then the family says no, and that's it.
23:48How many female models do you think you have in Palestine?
23:50In our country?
23:51There is four.
23:52Four?
23:53Four, which is not a number.
23:54The reason models are so hard to come by in Palestine is because of the region's culture of modesty.
24:00But there are so few opportunities to model that it's not a viable job option.
24:05Most families would not approve of their daughters pursuing modeling as a career.
24:20I can't believe it's your first time.
24:22I'm so impressed.
24:24I'm in love with fashion, you know?
24:26Yeah.
24:27That's why you love it.
24:29Yeah.
24:29Are you going to model in the show as well?
24:31In sha Allah.
24:32It's like a lot of them will say yes, and then I'll back out, and that's a really big issue
24:37because, you know, on the day itself, you'll be like, there's no one here or, you know.
24:43Oh, man.
24:44They're hard to find, huh?
24:45They really are.
24:47I didn't realize models are like unicorns in Palestine.
25:01We're at the border of Gaza, and we're just at the checkpoint, so we have to turn the cameras off,
25:06but I have no idea what to expect.
25:11I've never been to a place like this, obviously.
25:15We left the West Bank to attempt to go to Gaza, a strip of land only 25 miles long and
25:21six miles wide,
25:23infamous for its sustained periods of violent conflict.
25:27Gaza is governed by the militant Islamic group Hamas, which is listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the U
25:34.S. government.
25:35Since Hamas took control of the strip in 2007, both Israel and Egypt have held Gaza under a blockade,
25:42shutting down its borders and only allowing Gazans to leave under exceptional circumstances.
25:48This has spawned an expansive network of tunnels, used to smuggle in anything from lion cubs to clothing to weaponry.
25:57In 2014, a full-scale war broke out with Israel, which killed over 2,000 people, the majority Palestinian.
26:05And while hostile exchanges still occur, I felt it was important to explore this other side of the Palestinian identity.
26:14I'm getting really nervous because if they see the cameras, then they're going to freak out.
26:19OK, put it down, put it down, put it down, put it down.
26:22Entering Gaza is heavily restricted.
26:25Palestinians living in the West Bank are not allowed access to Gaza, and vice versa.
26:30Crossing its borders is difficult.
26:32First, you must undergo a series of heavy Israeli security checks.
26:37Then, walk through a two-mile-long caged tunnel, which leads you to your last hurdle, the Hamas checkpoint,
26:44where they search your belongings for forbidden items, such as booze or pornography.
26:49And then, you've made it.
26:52I really have no idea how to express what I'm feeling right now.
26:58You know, this is a place that is just constantly echoing on our TV sets and radios.
27:04And yet, here we are, and it's a really real place.
27:07And we're really, really here.
27:10I was struck by how little had been rebuilt since last year's war.
27:14Although I'd expected scenes like this, I'm ashamed to admit that what I did not expect was for Gaza to
27:21be beautiful.
27:22It's easy to forget that its beach lies on the Mediterranean Sea, sharing the same coveted waters as the south
27:29of France.
27:30And despite the wars and the blockade, there's a thriving surf culture here.
27:35And it's not just male-oriented.
27:37I was going to meet Rwand, a woman who has been surfing here since she was a kid.
27:42However, because of the restrictions placed on women by Hamas, she did not want her face to be filmed.
27:55And how do you feel when you're surfing? What does it make you feel like?
28:03Are the boys intimidated by you?
28:17In the water, past a certain point, it's controlled by the Israeli Navy. Is that right?
28:32And can you tell me about what you wear in the water?
28:39If I'm Muslim, I'm sure I'll wear something long.
28:42And I'm sure the shoes and the shoes are very thick.
28:45The sport must be compared to religion and others.
28:50Rwand offered to give me a surf lesson whilst keeping to a strict Islamic dress code.
28:56Hamas standards, they watch colors.
29:00Due to the blockade, getting new equipment in is impossible.
29:03So the only surfboard that Rwand could lend me was child size.
29:07She's also outgrown her burkini, a type of religiously appropriate full-body swimsuit.
29:13So to pursue her passion, Rwand has to go surfing in floor-length Islamic dress.
29:39It's so hard to swim in clothing. Oh my god.
29:44So how did I do?
29:47Thank you so much for taking me out.
29:49Me too.
29:54In a way, I'm having very complicated feelings about being here because I've just spent all this time on the
30:00West Bank with Palestinians who have never even been to Gaza.
30:04And here I am, able to traverse all of these boundaries.
30:09And I feel so lucky to get to see these worlds.
30:12And at the same time, I feel, I feel guilty for that privilege.
30:23Nightlife happens a little differently here than in the West Bank.
30:27And I'd been invited to a gathering that evening to experience it firsthand.
30:31I was met by two young Palestinians, Ahmed and Mohamed, who took me up to the party.
30:36I'm good?
30:37Yeah.
30:38Power's out, so if you have a phone, you can turn off.
30:42Okay.
30:43How often does this happen?
30:45On a daily basis.
30:46Yeah.
30:46Pretty much stays on for like eight hours, and then it goes back out for another eight hours.
30:54What is this instrument called?
30:57Oud.
30:57Oud.
30:59Oud.
31:18It's very unique to be sitting in a circumstance with family and people of all ages playing really old songs.
31:26Is this how you normally would spend a night?
31:28We don't have hip-hop concerts in Gaza.
31:31So it's a closed society, and the people just have what their parents gave them.
31:37What is it like to be a young person living here right now?
31:41I'm going to go to Egypt in Egypt, but I have to go to Egypt.
31:46I'm going to go to Egypt.
31:46I'm going to go to Egypt.
31:48I don't want to go to Egypt.
31:50I think me, Mohamed, and most of the people our age just have this extra energy, this extra need to
31:56do something different.
31:57And when you're in Gaza, you can.
31:59What was it like before Hamas took over?
32:02Was your life different in any way?
32:04In the Palestinian state, there was a difference between the young people.
32:08Today, Hamas has a lot of difference.
32:11It's a lot of difference.
32:13It's a lot of difference.
32:24And you said you don't like wearing your headscarf.
32:27Yeah.
32:29Why do you have to wear it if you don't like it?
32:32Because I should wear it.
32:35Are there any places where you can take it off and you feel free to do that?
32:39Yeah.
32:40Out of Gaza.
32:41Yeah.
32:52Out of Gaza.
33:05All right, I'm up at the crack of dawn.
33:07Two bomb blasts from the Hamas side went into Israel at 11pm last night.
33:14And then a couple hours later, two Israeli F-16s dropped a couple bombs, I don't know, nearby.
33:23We were told to get to the checkpoint immediately, as the border often closes after rocket exchange.
33:30Ahmed joined us on our last drive through Gaza.
33:33We had such a nice day yesterday that, in a way, I'm glad that I was shaken up a bit
33:39by it.
33:40Because it's a reminder that this place is, it's a war zone.
33:44It's hard to know what Gaza's really like unless you come here.
33:48Come here, yeah.
33:49I mean, yes, we do go to the beach and we do have fun and we do skateboard,
33:53but I've seen hundreds of people walking down the street running with nothing in their hand,
33:58and bought their official papers.
34:00Some of them had their shoes, some people had food, some people had their kids.
34:05I mean, how do you even recover mentally from something like that?
34:09You don't.
34:13All right, let's get to the checkpoint.
34:19This is Eres' checkpoint, and I can't cross.
34:23I want to, but I can actually cross because I'll be shot.
34:28Okay, so where do we have to let you out?
34:31This is the Hamas checkpoint.
34:32Yep, so it's right over here.
34:40We made it through the checkpoint.
34:41But the very next day, the Eres' border was shut down for three weeks straight.
34:46Once again, stealing off Gaza from the rest of the world.
34:53Upon arriving back in Ramallah, I headed over to Christina's place.
34:57She wanted to show me the lengths that she and her business partner have to go to
35:01in order to make their lingerie business work in Palestine.
35:04Hi, I'm Hailey.
35:06Hey, Nicola.
35:07Nice to meet you.
35:08How are you?
35:08Good.
35:09It's getting a bit dark, but I think we want to go to Jerusalem.
35:11We have some samples at a friend's house that we ordered online.
35:14Now we want to go get it.
35:15Can you send things directly into Ramallah?
35:18You can.
35:19It just takes forever, and you may not get it, really.
35:21That's the issue.
35:22Israeli customs will go through the package, and it'll, you know, maybe something won't be there.
35:26Is it easier to send to a friend's house in Jerusalem?
35:28I mean, it's not ideal, but I guess this is what we have right now to work with.
35:32I think we should go through.
35:33All right, let's get the road.
35:36All mail to the West Bank goes via Jordan or Israel, meaning there are often delays, and frequently items go
35:43missing.
35:44So for Christina and Nicola, it's more reliable to have items sent straight to East Jerusalem
35:49and then drive to pick them up in person.
35:52You can't go to Jerusalem without a permit, and luckily I have a permit.
35:55Nicola, she just has an American passport.
35:57I mean, she's American, so she can easily come and go, so that's the difference between us.
36:02It's kind of good that we're starting this business together.
36:05Yeah, yeah.
36:06Although Christina holds an American passport, the fact that she also holds a Palestinian ID card
36:13means that Palestinian travel restrictions apply to her.
36:16She can only travel to Jerusalem within certain times of the day, and her permit has a curfew of 9
36:23p.m.
36:24And what made you move here, Nicola?
36:27I like so much about it here. I like the culture, the people, the food, you know.
36:31Women here, I feel, are so ultra-feminine, I guess, in their style, and I've grown to really like it,
36:37actually.
36:40What's the sort of process of us getting through this checkpoint?
36:44I can drive through in the car, but Tina has to get out and walk through on foot.
36:50Yeah, I don't get to stay in the car.
36:55This is making me nervous.
36:57Yeah.
36:59Hopefully it'll be fine.
37:01It's much worse to be in the traffic when there's tear gas and rubber bullets.
37:05When does that happen?
37:07Any time.
37:09It happens frequently.
37:10Like, there's often protests and demonstrations.
37:13What's going on?
37:14You guys actually are going to want to get down here.
37:16This is probably a good time to turn off the cameras.
37:23I decided to go through the checkpoint on foot into East Jerusalem with Christina and film it on my phone.
37:29We're going to cross on foot and hopefully no one catches us filming.
37:34There are some guys heckling at us right now.
37:37I need you to tell me when to put the camera down.
37:46I don't know if there was a soldier here or on the next window.
37:49Okay.
37:58Here they are.
38:01They made it.
38:05We made it out.
38:07It was terrifying.
38:09Yeah.
38:09It's always like a huge sigh of relief.
38:11Yeah.
38:11This is a lot of stress to get a pair of panties.
38:15It is.
38:16It is.
38:18Oh my God.
38:20Let's see.
38:21I can't wait to see it.
38:22This is really exciting.
38:25Oh wow.
38:27This is the slip head.
38:31I love it.
38:32And here is the bra.
38:37Oh, this is so cute.
38:38Don't look.
38:40Yeah, this is like the fun part of work, you know?
38:42Yeah.
38:43When you get to actually see the things.
38:44So obviously we've just gone through a really intense experience to get this bra.
38:49You both have American passports.
38:51Right.
38:52Yeah.
38:52You could both live in the States.
38:53Absolutely.
38:54In a lingerie business.
38:56But that's clearly not what this is about.
39:00You're right.
39:01I could easily just leave.
39:03But then this whole political life that is very much a part of my being would be irrelevant.
39:09As if I just didn't give a shit about what was going on here.
39:12And I very much give a shit about what's going on.
39:14Maybe on the outside someone might think it's some ditzy idea, but I want to stay here and I want
39:19to try to contribute and I want to help Palestine.
39:22And that's why I've decided to stay.
39:31The next morning, trying to get back into East Jerusalem, we were faced with yet more checkpoint obstacles.
39:38Okay, so we've been sitting at this checkpoint for about 45 minutes.
39:41We've been rejected three times by the Israeli officers.
39:45We have press cards, we have visas.
39:49I haven't been allowed to film because we're not allowed to film the checkpoints.
39:52That's why we've drawn the curtains.
39:54But frankly, I'm experiencing this maddening, arbitrary control that the military has over everyone here, no matter what your ID
40:02says.
40:03After being denied entry at Bet El Checkpoint, we cut our losses and decided to head to the Kalundia Checkpoint,
40:10where we were finally let through and en route to Natalie Tehan's fashion show.
40:16I mean, obviously I'm not trying to equate any of this experience to living here as a Palestinian under military
40:23control, but I definitely got a taste of it today.
40:28After spending a week in the West Bank, it was clear to me that a Palestinian woman putting on an
40:33all-Palestinian event in Israeli-controlled Jerusalem is no small feat.
40:39Not just logistically, but also symbolically.
40:42I just, like, chained in the car at the fashion shows just about to start.
40:46I feel so sweaty and so disgusting, but we've got to run. Let's go.
40:55Hi! Oh my God!
40:57You're beautiful.
40:59I'm so nervous.
41:00It's beautiful in here. There's so many people here.
41:03It's exciting.
41:04Hi! How are you?
41:07Nervous?
41:09She's seeing the lookbook they shot for the first time.
41:12Oh my God! This is gonna reach every single person that's downstairs.
41:16Oh my God!
41:17Have you modeled before?
41:18No.
41:19No?
41:20It's really exciting being backstage here right now because none of these girls have actually walked the catwalk before.
41:39I'm going to see if Iyad from Natalie's factory made it here.
41:46I see him. I see him.
41:49I'm happy to see you here.
41:52The show had been pulled together in spite of the setbacks and was about to start.
42:04Natalie's designs celebrated Palestinian heritage by showcasing traditional craftsmanship in a modern context.
42:12It was important for Natalie that every step of the process was done by Palestinians,
42:17from the sourcing of the materials and the handiwork to the models and production team.
42:29I'm happy to hear you!
42:30How are you?
42:30I'm happy to hear you.
42:32I'm happy to hear my name.
42:33I'm happy to hear you, Natalie!
42:36I'm happy to hear my name, Natalie Tahan.
42:37Natalie Tahan!
42:42There's no easy way to sum up my experience in Palestine.
42:47Gaza is distinct from Ramallah, which is distinct from Hebron.
42:51But life in all of these places is defined by borders, more so than anywhere else I've been.
42:58And when you live in a place where there can be fatal consequences to crossing a shadow on a street,
43:04the challenge is not letting those borders define you.
43:07I am Palestinian and I'm proud to be Palestinian.
43:17From the outside I'm very feminine, but from the inside I'm very tough.
43:20You know, a lot of people are a bit startled when I tell them that this is what I want
43:25to do.
43:26Fighting the fight one panty at a time. There you go.
43:49Thank you, y'all.
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