Yasmeen Mjalli
Yasmeen Mjalli | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996 California, United States |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina, Duke University |
| Occupation(s) | fashion designer, photographer and anti-street harassment activist |
| Known for | founding Nöl Collective and the Not Your Habibti campaign |
Yasmeen Mjalli (born 1996) is an American and Palestinian fashion designer, photographer and anti-street harassment activist. She is the founder of the fashion brand Nöl Collective and the Not Your Habibti campaign.
Biography
Mjalli was born in California in 1996[1] to a family of Palestinian immigrants from Tubas and grew up in North Carolina.[2] She studied a bachelors degree in Art History at the University of North Carolina and a masters degree in liberal studies at Duke University.[1][3]
After relocating to Palestine in 2017,[3] Mjalli settled in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.[4] She has said that "it was when I moved to Palestine that I really took the time to understand the politics of fashion."[5] Mjalli launched fashion label BabyFist in 2017,[6] which rebranded as the Nöl Collective in 2020. Nöl (نول) in Arabic means loom and is a tribute to the city al-Majdal. The city was destroyed in 1948 and was famed for weaving.[3][7] Nöl Collective is a slow fashion enterprise that celebrates Palestinian life and traditions,[4] such as by using UNESCO recognised tatreez embroidery and Majdalawi fabric.[7] Mjalli sources her material from local women’s collectives, family-run sewing workshops, and artisans.[8] In 2021, she gave a talk titled "The Sustainable Future Lies in Indigenous Tradition" at TEDxAlManaraSquare.[9]
Alongside fashion, Mjalli is a women's rights activist. Mjalli is the "driving force" behind the Not Your Habibti (darling or baby) anti-street harassment campaign[10] and has painted the slogan on denim jackets and T-shirts.[11] The campaign was initially in response to her own personal experience of street harassment.[10] She also launched the "Dear Mr Prime Minister" movement to put pressure on Palestinian lawmakers to introduce the Women and Children’s Act and to raise grassroots discourse and awareness about legal protections for women fleeing from domestic violence.[12]
Mjalli also engages in film photography.[13][14]
In February 2024, Mjalli and Nöl Collective worked to assist in the evacuation of weavers from Gaza, supporting some of her weavers to evacuate to Cairo, Egypt.[4][15] She achieved the evacuation after launching an online fundraiser, which raised $100,000 and was enough to provide documentation and passage to Egypt for weaver Hussam Zaqout, his wife, children and nephews.[5]
Mjalli was named a BBC 100 Woman in 2024.[4]
References
- ^ a b "People - Yasmeen Mjalli". Sharjah Art Foundation. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ Lawford, Emily (3 June 2018). "#NotYourHabibti: The activist fighting sexual violence with fashion". The Isis Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Meet Yasmeen Mjalli, The Palestinian Designer Behind Nöl Collective". Grazia Middle East. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d "BBC 100 Women 2024: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ a b Biondi, Annachiara (24 March 2025). "The small brands linking craft, heritage and activism". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ Satenstein, Liana (29 January 2020). "This "Made in Palestine" Label Is Supporting Local Business and Gender Equality". Vogue. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ a b Chan, Emily (21 June 2024). ""Craft Is An Identity": The Palestinian Weavers Determined To Preserve Their Tradition". British Vogue. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ Haidari, Niloufar (31 July 2023). "'Fashion Is Inherently Political': The Woman Mixing Palestinian Design With Sustainable Clothing". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ TEDx Talks (15 June 2021). The Sustainable Future Lies in Indigenous Tradition | Yasmeen Mjalli | TEDxAlManaraSquare. Retrieved 23 June 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b Pasha-Robinson, Lucy (3 February 2018). "Meet the young Palestinian woman bringing the #MeToo movement to the West Bank". The Independent. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ Mraffko, Clothilde. "Palestinian designer seeks to empower women". Times of Israel. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ Jewell, Bella (12 February 2018). "Socially engaged art: the feminist genre of change?". The Mancunion. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ "Travel Guide: Palestine by Yasmeen Mjalli". KHAMSA. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ "Yasmeen Mjalli". Atmos. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ Issawi, Danya (17 December 2024). "What It's Like to Be a Fashion Designer in the West Bank". The Cut. Retrieved 9 March 2025.