Since 1961, the Herbawi Textile Factory has been a leading manufacturer of Palestinian Keffiyehs – the traditioal headwear and international symbol of Palestine. Today it remains as the last keffiyeh production factory in Palestine.
Recently, several volunteers from the Excellence Center in Hebron went to visit the production house and get a sense of one of Hebron’s true and lasting legacies – one known throughout the world.
On this day, the looms and machines were churning at high speed. In addition to these notable, distinct noises, the colors really stood out – those on the machines as they wizzed as well as those on the numerous spools in the factory’s corner.
The original production house was founded by Yasser Herbawi, now in his 80s. Until opening his own factory in his native Hebron, Mr. Hirbawi had imported the traditional headdresses from Syria. Historically, the keffiyeh had played an important role in Palestian unity in the face of previous occupation – that under the British in the early part of the century. In the Arab revolts of 1936-39, the headdress was adopted by fighters who influenced their urban counterparts to drop the traditional Ottoman fez in favor of the unifying keffiyeh.
For Mr. Hirbawi, the timing of his new business opening was fortuitous, as it coincided with the rise of Palestinian identity as an extention of the Palestinian national movement started in the 50s. In fact, the garments gained international interest, as the checkered head scarves now found their way into newspapers and onto televisions around the world.
Because of this new attention, the keffiyeh became arguably a kind of stylish fashion statement in Europe and America. In the 60s, its wearers were associated with social justice concerns and minority rights while in the 70s, politically astute audiences began associating the garment with the Palestinian cause. This, of course, corresponded with the rise of Yasser Arafat and peaked with his global prominence in the 90s.
Business for the Herbawi Factory boomed through the 70s and 80s with annual keffiyeh production reaching over 100,000 units per year. Things, however, slowed in the 90s, after the Oslo Accords of 1994 intertwined the Palestinian and Israeli economies, with Israel exacting detrimental influence. That combined with the rise in Chinese keffiyeh production – cheap in cost, but also in quality. The Herbawi business suffered for 15 years until picking up again in 2013, when new tariffs on Chinese goods and a resurgence in demand for product authenticity meant the Herbawi looms were again in full swing.
Among the most prominent colors associated with the keffiyeh are the original black and white design most popular at the height of production in the 70s/80s and most closely associated with Yasser Arafat (on display prominently in the Arafat Museum). The red and white pattern was soon added to production, a design preferred by many supporters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) as well as citizens of Jordan and other Arab nations.
More colorful designs have come of late, in an effort by the Herbawi sons (three of whom currently run the factory) to grow the appeal of the headdress beyond the overtly political. These newest examples are featured prominently in the Herbawi gift shop at tour’s end.
All in all, the keffiyeh has held a prominent cultural and historical position in the larger Arab world and specifically in Palestine in the 20th and 21st centuries. It has represented fighters, leaders, citizens and the global network of self professed resistors.
In Hebron, the Herbawi Textile Factory has been at the forefront of keffiyeh design and production. More than a business, however, Yasser Herbawi and sons have played a prominent role in representing Palestinian identity on the global stage.
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