MoMu Talk: Embroidering Palestine

Embroidery, known as tatreez in Arabic, is one of the most vital cultural practices of Palestine. Historically, Palestinian dress was defined by regional diversity, with each area distinguished by its own textiles, motifs and stitchwork. More than a decorative art, tatreez in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries formed a visual language shared among women — a medium of identity, heritage and belonging.

Today, embroidery’s significance endures as a symbol of resistance and solidarity, connecting generations and communities across borders. The exhibition Embroidering Palestine explores this living tradition through the lenses of nature, splendour, power and change. It traces the politicisation of the craft, the role of textiles in the assertion of identity, and the ongoing inspiration tatreez offers to contemporary Palestinian designers.

In this talk, guest curator Rachel Dedman will reflect on the development of the exhibition and the research that underpins it. She will be joined by Palestinian designers Ayham Hassan and Zeid Hijazi, who will expand on their creative practices and the ways in which their work reimagines Palestinian heritage through fashion.

Rachel Dedman is the guest curator of Embroidering Palestine. An internationally recognised expert on Palestinian embroidery and Middle Eastern fashion, she is currently Curator of Contemporary Art from the Middle East at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Dedman has previously curated acclaimed exhibitions on Palestinian textile arts and brings her deep expertise and insight to this project, illuminating the rich stories stitched into tatreez.

Ayham Hassan is a London-based fashion designer and graduate of Central Saint Martins (2024). His work merges political consciousness with poetic form. Rooted in Palestinian heritage, his collections transform traditional tatreez embroidery and Mejdellawi weaving into sculptural, avant-garde garments. His graduate collection, IM-Mortal Magenta, reimagined “the colour that does not exist” as a metaphor for visibility and endurance.

Zeid Hijazi is a multidisciplinary Palestinian designer whose practice bridges fashion, performance and visual art. Educated at Central Saint Martins, London, his work explores queerness, identity and memory through bold silhouettes and intricate craftsmanship. Drawing on tatreez and other ancestral techniques, Hijazi transforms inherited codes into radical, contemporary statements.