The Founder

Noora Khalifeh

Imagine a wide-eyed and wonder-filled girl exploring the familiar tunnels of Al-Quds (Jerusalem’s) old city as if for the first time, from her father’s souvenir shop through the many shops, kiosks, stands, and corners of the market, following the cadence of bejeweled headdresses, skirts, and wrists punctuated by the clockwork clanging of iron shop doors opening and moaning their call to the morning’s patrons. She dances forth weightlessly, under and between the kaleidoscopic array of hand-crafted and painted ceramics, embroidered garments hanging just out of reach of a child’s arms, and antique silver jewelry, contrasted and framed on all sides by the intimately familiar pale grays, beige, and creams of a stone so native as to be termed “Jerusalem stone.”

Imagine many years later that same impressionable and absorbent mind encountering modern shapes, colors, and styles and reconciling both past and present artifacts and archetypes in a single shared narrative through clothing, resulting in a simultaneously historical and contemporary wearable narrative like ancient tapestries with a modern make-over.

Noora Khalifeh does not see a market in the Old City; instead, she sees a runway. The exotic, local and foreign, each body an unwitting character in her show from the local merchants and artisans in the traditional regional garb of Palestine to the foreign visitors with their unique cultural contributions: all of the garments come from a place and represent political, cultural, social, as well as spiritual realities, but at the same time, they populate the stage and, in doing so, become unquestionably Jerusalemite. Jerusalem is an inescapably international world capital, and the western, modern influences blend with and become part of the tapestry. All of these archetypes have analogs in the fashion world, and the interplay of these symbols—the masculine, authoritarian, the gentle maternal, the pastoral—serve as the secondary influences on Noora’s designs, preceded only by traditional Palestinian cross-stitch. This is Noora’s Old City.

Through her pieces, designer Noora Khalifeh aims to share with us these sensations, and with these sensations, her impressions of the world she inhabits, her interpretations of the interaction of history with the present, the uniquely Palestinian, and specifically feminine experience that always was a story told in stitches, but lacked the language to be carried beyond its sphere.

Dar Noora In Words

A fusion of heritage and empowerment, Dar Noora embodies the spirit of the Sunbird—resilient, free, and deeply connected to the land. Rooted in culture, each stitch tells a story of tradition, craftsmanship, and modern elegance, preserving Palestine’s legacy through fashion.

Sunbird

Inspired by the hidden beauty of nature, CEO and Chief Designer, Noora Abdeen Khalifeh chose as her primary motif the Palestinian Olive-backed Sun Bird, at once a spectacle of natural, mystical, and ancient beauty and an analog for defiance and freedom. Historically a symbol of Palestine, Ms. Khalifeh’s sunbird spreads her wings in a framed frozen flurry of soft, warm beige, olive green and ocean blue. This sunbird is more than a symbol of Palestine; she is a symbol of Palestinian hope (for freedom), migrating in direct defiance of borders and restrictions from the beaches of Gaza to the plains, forests, mountains, and villages of Palestine’s central and northern lands finally to the coastal mountains and valleys of her sister Lebanon.

cultural

Dar Noora is very proud of its social outreachand the way it connects the traditional artisans who have historically produced such complex and ornate cross-stich designs for generations to a blossoming industry and a market, to which they would otherwise not have access. Beyond outreach, Dar Noora sees this work not only as an opportunity to create expressive, novel designs never before seen elsewhere, but also as a means of preserving Palestine’s rich cultural heritage. Cultural preservation vis-à-vis incorporating traditional cross-stitch in every design is one of Dar Noora’s top priorities.

Social Preneurship

Dar Noora is very proud of its social outreach and the way it connects the traditional artisans who have historically produced such complex and ornate cross-stich designs for generations to a blossoming industry and a market, to which they would otherwise not have access. Beyond outreach, Dar Noora sees this work not only as an opportunity to create expressive, novel designs never before seen elsewhere, but also as a means of preserving Palestine’s rich cultural heritage. Cultural preservation vis-à-vis incorporating traditional cross-stich in every design is one of Dar Noora’s top priorities. Furthermore, Dar Noora concerns itself with social and economic impact: Palestine needs jobs, and while many women still work in traditional tatreez, this is hardly sustainable as an industry. Beyond Tatreez, there is a rich opportunity to open and expand a uniquely Palestinian fashion industry that would counter the typically foreign imposed model of economic development and empowerment with an organic, home-grown alternative, that stands to create jobs in which Palestinians would take great pride.

The Mother

Beyond being a visionary designer and entrepreneur, Noora Khalifeh is also a mother—a role that deeply influences her journey and mission. Just as she nurtures her child with love and care, she extends the same devotion to preserving Palestinian heritage and empowering the women who bring tatreez to life. Motherhood has strengthened her sense of responsibility, not only toward her family but also toward the artisans whose craftsmanship defines Dar Noora. She sees in them the resilience, strength, and creativity that Palestinian women have carried for generations. Through Dar Noora, Noora strives to create a legacy that her child—and all future generations—can inherit with pride, proving that culture, artistry, and empowerment can thrive hand in hand.

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