Fashion designer Rami Kashou has opened a pop-up shop in the West Bank, presenting his colourful collection to people in his homeland.
The Palestinian-American designer, whose designs have been worn by Middle East royalty and American celebrities, is eager to introduce his designs to fashion lovers in Ramallah.
"It was a chance for me to know them and for them to know about me and my work. For many people I knew from the past, when I used to live here, it is a very nice opportunity. The most important thing to me is when a woman checks out one of my designs that she likes and feels happy to buy it," said Kashou.
The 40-year-old said in three days, he had already sold 25 out of the 50 pieces he designed, which ranged from 500 Shekels (US53-131 dollars) for casual outfits, to 1400 Shekels (US368 dollars) and up for elaborate evening dresses.
Customers were delighted to see Kashou's collection, which is different from what was available at the local shops.
"It is very chic and nice, I guess it is really nice to have a designer who makes something different, different than what you see in the shops. It is nice to have something like that," said Lina Abbasi.
Kashou's design inspirations come from his everyday surroundings, and he uses different materials in his dresses like cotton, silk and other soft materials. He also plans to add the Palestinian embroidery to his future designs.
Kashou was born in Jerusalem and used to live in Ramallah before moving to the US to study fashion.
"I moved in the year 1995 to America to finish my studies as a fashion designer, and from there I started in the clothing business at a well-known shop in Los Angeles. At the same time I had the opportunity to design during my free time and to sell my designs in the same shop, where the shop owners used to encourage me. Also I had a chance to make designs and sell them to celebrities in Los Angeles, among them were celebrities like Tori Spelling, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian," said Kashou.
Kashou said he will soon launch an online store to make his collection available to a wider public, and he hopes to create designs for Angelina Jolie and Arab singers one day.
REUTERS