The reason why we love Palestine is not because of land, it’s for the culture and tradition.
It all started with two Palestinian-Americans and an Instagram account. A large amount of Palestinians living in the diaspora do not truly understand what their home, Palestine, truly means. This fact didn’t go unnoticed by Aminah Musa, a fashion-school graduate. The thought that many Pali youth don’t know what Palestine really is greatly saddened her. They realized that the meaning of Palestine was lost in the emotions of the occupation, and decided to take a whole new perspective to what Palestine meant to them. To educate the community about their own home, Aminah teamed up with her brother and father (Zahran) to start an Instagram account called PaliRoots.
The account was simply a way to express, in images, what the country means to them. Today, their account boasts 9,521 followers which is pretty impressive for a brand that’s only been running for 1 year! The longing to spread the word about Palestine and get them back in touch with their roots grew even more. Check out what Aminah told BarakaBits about her journey into what is internationally known as PaliRoots:
- How did the idea for the brand get started?
I grew up in Ohio, but am now currently residing in California. I graduated from fashion school and I wanted my own clothing line, and I wanted it to be different, something more related to the community. When I realized that the Palestinian youth don’t really know what the true meaning of Palestine is, I, along with Hussein (Brother), and my father, decided to bring the community together and educate the people.
2. When did you launch your brand?
The brand launched in the beginning of September, 2016. After we saw the engagement on the Instagram account, we printed out some hats to sell during an Islamic convention. Nobody knew who we were but they loved the hats and we sold out within the second day! So, with the help of my father and brother, we expanded and designed our own site and made various other products.
My brother and I are like two hippies, high on life!
3. How do you feel about your work and the growth of Pali Roots?
Its not just a t-shirt brand, we’re here to stay and be a fashion brand. Our market is very diverse and we cater to all types of Palestinians and our supporters. We also work with Palestinian manufacturers to bring them into one big bubble and help them grow. I believe we are promoting something peaceful and beautiful. The word Palestine does not evolve around war, it means culture and heritage and we need to look for a brighter future. Life comes to you in many directions, and you have to pick one and go with it, go with it hard!
You never envision your future, it just happens.
For a young woman with only 23 years under her wing, the success of something created within her own family is definitely a home-run on the scoreboard! Even famous Palestinian YouTuber, Yousef Erekat took the time out to show his support for this amazing initiative!
I gotta get to the top and I’m gonna take Palestine with me!
We hope all Palestinians, all around the world will be right there along with PaliRoots in their journey to take Palestine to the top!
