A piece of cloth in Palestinian style arrived at Brazilian stores this winter. It is the keffiye, a black and white kerchief worn in the Arab country that became a trend worldwide, including Brazil. Stores sell the traditional, black-and-white model, as well as variations featuring different colors and prints.
It all started when the European brand Balenciaga decided to design a collection inspired on the streets of London last year. The kerchief featured among the items showcased during the brand's fashion show and became a worldwide fad.
In Brazil, one of the stores that sell it is Roxane Dreams, an imported accessories shop located in the Jardins neighborhood, in the city of São Paulo, in the Brazilian Southeast.
Roxane Dreams has worked with the item for six years now. According to the store manager, Danielly Ribeiro, the Palestinian kerchief is worn in the streets of London ever since the Gulf War, as a protest against invasions in the Arab world. And the Brazilian store sells precisely products imported from regions such as London, Paris, Amsterdam and Thailand.
The kerchief trend, however, only caught on in Brazil this year. Brands geared at the high-income public, such as Doc Dog, began commercializing it, as well as more popular retail chains such as Renner. At Roxane Dreams, customers who buy the kerchief are mostly women. But men purchase it too. The store sells the traditional-style item, Palestinian style, and also other models, with star- and heart-shaped prints.
According to Danielly, it is usually worn around the neck, with the fringes falling over the blouse, shirt or dress that the customer is wearing. However, it can also be worn falling lengthily over the clothes, for instance, with a belt around it at waist height. Famous Brazilian fashion consultant Glória Kalil even gave tips, at a television show, on how to wear the kerchiefs during winter.
The French Balenciaga, for example, created several variations using the Palestinian kerchief. It combined the black and white print with a dark red tone, used golden fringes and hung metals, imitating coins, at the extremities.
In another model, the kerchief is white, the print red and the fringes, quite long, are also red. The blue-toned kerchief, for instance, features silvery fringes. It is Palestinian fashion, customized for the world.
Anba – www.anba.com.br
