Dar Noora’s Heritage House
Presenting a collection of high-end designs for 2020 titled: Palestinian 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.
Likewise, Ms. Khalifeh’s collection is conceived in Jerusalem, the heart of Palestine, and given life in Beirut, the region’s fashion capital. In this sense, Ms. Khalifeh both embodies and is embodied by the sunbird, as her designs originate from her in Jerusalem, after which they are handmade by Palestinian craftswomen, artisans in traditional Palestinian embroidery from Gaza, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the villages surrounding Ramallah. Finally, the finished product is assembled by a custom handbag maker in Lebanon.
The centerpiece of the collection is the clutch frame handbag, a novel, but seemingly natural blend of old and new, of contemporary and traditional; indeed, a past and present cultural product. The handbag consists of a bold metallic gold or silver plated rectangular casing with straight lines and sharp edges framing the one of three sunbird designs, which depict the icon juxtaposed by a flowers and twigs on a white canvas background interwoven with hints of silver silk.
Each piece is an art that will not disappear with time and will be suitable for all times. It will defy the change of fashion, renewed as nature and reshaping new meanings with time.