The Copenhagen Fashion Week, which concluded over the weekend, unfolded against the backdrop of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of plans to take over Gaza. Fashion, often a mirror of societal currents, responded swiftly.
Many attendees expressed solidarity with Gaza and Palestinians through their clothing choices, prominently featuring the keffiyeh pattern—a symbol long associated with the Palestinian struggle. Guests wore it as dresses, skirts, scarves tied around the head or wrapped around the body, turning the event into a platform for political expression.
A striking moment came during the show by Finnish brand Marimekko, founded in 1951. The relatively low-profile label’s vibrant runway was disrupted when model and musician Jura pulled a Palestinian flag from her floral dress, bearing the words “Act Now Against Genocide.”
Security promptly escorted her off the runway at the direction of brand management. In a subsequent Instagram post, Jura explained her actions, criticizing Israel while weaving in antisemitic undertones about “wealthy elites” controlling global affairs.
“We have no future without Palestine,” she wrote. “If we accept Israel starving all of Palestine now, we accept that the richest in the world will decide which minority is next for annihilation. What’s happening to Palestine is our future.”
The absence of effective Israeli public diplomacy has left a void filled by a one-sided narrative. While the Palestinian story dominates global discourse, critical issues like the plight of Israeli hostages and their families fade from view, resulting in an imbalanced understanding of the war's complexities.
Support for the Palestinian narrative extended beyond the runway to Copenhagen’s quiet streets. Model and director Alana Hadid, 40, elder sister of Gigi and Bella Hadid from their father Mohamed Hadid’s first marriage to Mary Butler, was photographed wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh dress crafted from recycled scarves.
The design came from Norwegian designer William Wardell’s fashion brand MAILLIW, which focuses on politically and socially charged clothing made from upcycled materials.
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Wardell’s Instagram reveals this was not his first keffiyeh-inspired piece; a similar dress appeared at Elle Norway’s gala in November 2024, signaling a broader trend of incorporating the keffiyeh into fashion. “I wear my pride everywhere I go,” Hadid declared.
Her father, Mohamed, praised her in the comments, calling her a “stunning, brave, loving, caring, humanitarian, exemplary model, daughter, sister and star in a watermelon photoshoot,” referring to the watermelon’s colors, a recent symbol of the Palestinian flag in media and social platforms.
British-Pakistani photographer Noor Younis captured the trend in images published by the Middle East edition of Hypebeast, showing numerous attendees donning fashionable keffiyehs. Once a symbol of resistance and activism over the past six decades, the keffiyeh has increasingly become a decontextualized fashion accessory, often stripped of its historical and political weight.
Not all observers see the keffiyeh’s prominence as significant. Dana Unger Dayan, a former boutique chain owner and current fashion influencer, attended Copenhagen Fashion Week and downplayed the phenomenon. “I saw the pictures, but in reality, it’s negligible, like the ‘Day of Rage’ in Athens,” she said.
“That said, the general atmosphere isn’t in our favor; we’re not very popular there. What was interesting was seeing many women with headscarves, likely influenced by Islam.” While protest and resistance are inherent to fashion, the keffiyeh’s surge since October 7, 2023, among European and American youth raises questions.
Are wearers genuinely identifying with Palestinian suffering, or is it a fleeting trend? Few, if pressed, might accurately locate Umm al-Khair, Nablus or even Israel on a map. Copenhagen’s events underscore fashion’s evolution into a geo-political arena, where symbols double as political weapons.
Similar displays of “resistance and endurance” appeared at Paris Men’s Fashion Week, pointing to a broader international trend. The question is not just about authenticity but about the responsibility of designers, brands, and fashion icons when adopting symbols with deep historical resonance.
Israel’s failure to shape the narrative in prominent arenas like fashion reflects a broader communication shortfall. The keffiyeh’s prominence is a symptom of a deeper issue: Israel struggles to offer a compelling counter-narrative to a generation seeking identity and meaning.
The Copenhagen Fashion Week highlights the challenge of engaging younger audiences who are drawn to symbols of resistance, leaving Israel disconnected from the cultural conversation.