Is it finally kool to associate the kuffiyah with palis and other Arabs? To buy a shirt described as an “Armed and Dangerous” look and one that portrays Palestinians as “Victimized”???? I wonder what Stand With US will have to say about this, especially since the shirt is being sold on Urban Outfitters’ website.
This is a bold move for Urban Outfitters, which last year, under pressure from the Israel advocacy organization Stand With Us, temporarily halted nation-wide sale and distribution of their “anti-war woven scarf,” ahem kuffiyah. However, this time, if the Zionist coming attacking once again, what will they say? It’s not like they can hide the shirt’s prominently displayed Pali-ness-I mean the shirt does stamp the Palestinian flag right on the front of it. Well, it could always euphesmatically re-name the flag like it did the scarf, perhaps calling it “art deco design African nationalist” flag shirt.
The shirt is also being sold on French site Ma Garde Robe for $56.19-that’s 39 euro if you were concerned.
However, more interesting than UO’s sale of the shirt, is the clothing company that manufactured the shirt: Los Angeles-based Men and Women’s Freshjive clothing line.
A good chunk of their collection is sold on Karma Loop. After looking through Karmaloop’s full collection of Freshjive tees, other even more interesting and controversial images materialized. Going for $22.00 is a tee with an image of a young Yasser Arafat (with dark-lens glasses and a kuffiyah as well-go fig!) with the phrase “The Good Ole Days” running under the pic. The last halting Arab-related image I found in Freshjive’s newest collection on Karma Loop was a $23.00 T-shirt called “The Oil Rules” tee featuring a swarty Abdullah-looking Saudi Royal decked out in traditional garb-a
white kuffiyah, aqal, darkly-tinted avatar sunglasses, sweeping robe, a cigar in one hand and a enigmatic can in the other.
In assessing this new phenomenon, of featuring radical Arab figures as the ironic iconic t-shirt emblem du jour, I ask: Is this a counter movement to the presumed ignorance surrounding the kuffiyah kraze or just a fetishism of the cool West-despised anti-hero?
Lastly, it’s an interesting statement for a Woman and Men’s clothing line to carry to such images for exclusively for their male line. Instead of Yasser, the women get Tina Turner and and a bubble gum wrapper as part of their ironic t-shirt choices.
[Tarbouch Tip: Aseil]
Related posts:
- Kuffiyah Kraze: Another Mainstream Spotting
- Kuffiyah Kraze
- Kuffiyah Kraze: The Islamofashionist Order of the Skull and Bones secret society
- McCain Steps Up Kuffiyah Kraze Contest
- KUFFIYAH KRAZE UPDATE: When a shekel’s a shekel
your links dont work…could you try to fix
Posted by CT | April 10, 2008, 7:32 amI’m not reading this as a pro-Palestinian shirt; the juxtaposition of the pictures of kids with guns with the heading has it seem like they’re making fun of how arabs “claim” they’re victims.
Or that’s what I’m getting out of it with my limited hipster literacy.
Posted by nadia | April 10, 2008, 7:46 amI think the fashion world is taking this in an ugly turn and giving the West another reason to say, “see, I told you they were bad”. There are other images they can use to promote Palestinian solidarity. I guess the Kuffiyeh wasn’t giving the message (since many are oblivious to it’s meaning) but now, neither are these t-shirts. At least not the right message.
anyone know who the designers of Urban Outfitters are?
Posted by Anonymous | April 10, 2008, 7:48 amMy interpretation of the children with guns over the heading, “Victimized” is that these children are simply victimized- Not by Israel, but by their own extremist groups. I wonder what the underlying intentions are…
Posted by Anonymous | April 10, 2008, 7:51 amanon 7:48-
The designers of the shirt or the head honcho buyers at Urban Outfitters? Because, as mentioned in the post, the designer of the shirt(s) is Freshjive.
Btw, interesting discussion all-I am trying to get an interview from the clothing company to eludicate the “intention.”
Posted by Maytha | April 10, 2008, 7:57 amBoth of these are Fresh Jive. I work at Urban and the style shown is also a fresh jive tee.
Posted by Anonymous | April 10, 2008, 8:00 amall the shirts pictured in the post are freshjive shirts
Posted by Maytha | April 10, 2008, 8:05 amFounder of Freshjive, Rick KLOTZ.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCBn-2IWi6U
Listen to the interview and figure out just what the underlying intentions are.
Posted by Robin | April 10, 2008, 9:18 amI have a question. I’m a ridiculously white, burn-after-10-minutes-in-the-sun type. I’ve recently taken to wearing a kuffiyah because of the political statement. Maytha, after reading your posts on how fashion has stolen this scarf and now any rich brat running around in New York has one, can I get away with wearing it, if my intentions are other than fashion?
Posted by Guns | April 10, 2008, 9:27 amHey CT, this is KABOBfest — would you expect their links to work? KABOBfestWATCH
Posted by Programmer Buydatti | April 10, 2008, 9:28 amHey Guns, don’t let Maytha fool you. Though she parades herself around like some sort of New York hipster fashion snob, she’s actually the worst dressed blogger on the Fest (Will’s a close second and Fayyad is the best).
She’s a judgmental dumpster. I say keep wearing the kuffiyeh. You know what it means and that’s all that matters. When the trend is gone, you’ll still be wearing it proudly.
Maytha’s just bitter because she’s got a tramp stamp (so 1997) and fake titties (which went out with Baywatch)
Posted by Programmer Buydatti | April 10, 2008, 9:33 amPalestinian Children with guns? And you’re supporting this?
I’d laugh if it wasn’t so sad.
Two steps forward, three steps back. Per usual.
Posted by Anonymous | April 10, 2008, 12:04 pmdid i say i was supporting this? Where? All I did was display the shirts and pose the question
Posted by Maytha | April 10, 2008, 12:38 pmMaytha, with apologies for the vulgarities on the above posted youtube, if you watch it, you will better understand what this is about from the maker of these t-shirts himself. We can all try to figure it out, let Rick Klotz tell you and there really won’t be any more questioning. And one must think if they buy one, then their purchase is furthering his motive (or at least that’s the way I see it)
Posted by Robin | April 10, 2008, 1:23 pmi dont really see anything wrong with the yasser arafat shirt, but most shirts people were in the US aren’t political messages as much as jokes or style
Posted by CT | April 10, 2008, 1:44 pmSHALOM! I shall buy 5 of these shirts!
~Chaim~
Posted by Chaim "Hussein" Sugarman | April 10, 2008, 2:14 pmSHALOM! I shall buy 5 of these shirts!
~Chaim~
Posted by Chaim "Hussein" Sugarman | April 10, 2008, 2:14 pmSHALOM! I shall buy 5 of these shirts!
~Chaim~
Posted by Chaim "Hussein" Sugarman | April 10, 2008, 2:14 pmSHALOM! I shall buy 5 of these shirts!
~Chaim~
Posted by Chaim "Hussein" Sugarman | April 10, 2008, 2:14 pmSHALOM! I shall buy 5 of these shirts!
~Chaim~
Posted by Chaim "Hussein" Sugarman | April 10, 2008, 2:14 pmSHALOM! I shall buy 5 of these shirts!
~Chaim~
Posted by Chaim "Hussein" Sugarman | April 10, 2008, 2:14 pmMaytha’s just bitter because she’s got a tramp stamp (so 1997) and fake titties (which went out with Baywatch)
Yuk! Fake titties were never “in”, Buydatti. Even in the porn industry, it was only for a couple years in the late 1980s that they were a “plus” – no pun intended. They look hideous whenever they are roaming free, and why would any guy want to be with a woman who was sporting what amounts to a couple of water balloons where her boobs are suppose to be? What’s next? Guys running around with rubber 18″ long dick inserts? Whoever came up with the whole “breast enlargement” idea should be shot. That’s one body-modification fad that should have never come to be.
Tramp Stamp, eh? Maytha, is that true!? :O
Posted by programmer craig | April 10, 2008, 10:14 pmBy the way, that dude looks like a dork in that T-shirt. Just saying. Is that considered fashionable now? Looking like a dork? I thought that only worked for girls…
Posted by programmer craig | April 10, 2008, 10:17 pman old white divorcee talking about whats “cool”, well done.
Posted by Mr. Friendly | April 11, 2008, 6:22 pm“FreshJives is all bullshit. Graphically, we really want to poke fun at some cultural and political aspects of life…as of late, we did a group of shirts called Chicken and Waffles…it was about chicken, waffles and black girls with nice big bootys..I’m just enjoying what I’m making, the opportunity to spread out some opinions..occasionally screw with somebody..makes it all fun and worthwhile”
THAT’s the intentions?! Playing around and while the rest of the public sees these t-shirts as a “serious” message.
Posted by Anonymous | April 13, 2008, 10:58 amI am sponsored by Freshjive and refused to rock the victimized shirt. Too much politics behidn the meaning of it. I recently revoked my sponsorship. But kept the arafat shirt for the hell of it.
ya heard?
The owner of the company is open minded, very liberal and almost nuts.
so. its all in the viewer’s intentions i think, but deep down inside, i dont trust anybody.
Posted by Narcel X | April 13, 2008, 2:14 pmPalestinians ARE victimized. this t shirt rocks!
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Posted by Jerri Talas | February 20, 2011, 2:12 pm