The Artist’s Story

_{My name is Fadi Alherbawi, a Palestinian born in Kuwait and raised in Gaza. My story with embroidery began in my childhood, when I was captivated by the traditional Palestinian dresses.
It all started with my grandmother’s Majdalawi thobe, worn by the elder women of Gaza at the time. I would often gaze at the intricate stitches that adorned it. One day, I asked my grandmother about the symbols and patterns, and she told me that each stitch carries meanings related to the harvest season, social events, and other cultural stories.}

_{As I grew, I studied finance and banking, but I never let go of my passion for art, calligraphy, and Palestinian heritage.}

_{The turning point came when I started collaborating with prominent Palestinian fashion designers. Through this experience, I deepened my understanding of the Palestinian thobe and its embroidery. I realized that each city and village in Palestine has its own unique stitches, reflecting its culture, traditions, major crops, and social events.}

_{This inspired me to design pieces that respect the general identity while combining motifs from several cities, creating artwork that tells the story of an entire nation, its identity, heritage, and history, preserved through every stitch.}

Fadi S.M Alherbawi