Quina started as a project by Shaden Atiyah and her husband Rani Daas. The concept was to create a sustainable wooden unisex bag as a wearable piece of art. “keeping the process and materials sustainable is difficult for designers and artisans in Palestine, mainly due to the lack of these materials but also for a variety of other different reasons. We tried to create high quality sustainable slow production pieces in a very fast world. We are still looking for better eco-friendly materials. The brand’s name is inspired by eucalyptus tree, which in Arabic is called Quina. The eucalyptus tree has very strong roots and is always green, it represents both flexibility and resilience and gives me hope for a new generation that holds on to its identity and at the same time is free with its thoughts and creativity, and independent in their productivity in any field.

In her latest collection photoshoot, Shaden Atiyah chose to shoot her hand-bags on model with unshaved armpit hair. The culturally unusual choice was not widely accepted when she posted the picture on Instagram, “The picture with Rose, the model with the armpit hair had many negative comments and offensive reactions, but I chose to work with her specifically because I wanted to break the stereotypes and boxes we as a society put women in. Those stereotypes constantly tell women how and who they should be, what’s beautiful and what’s ugly, what is appropriate and what’s not. These pictures made people uncomfortable because they are used to seeing stereotypes. Women are beautiful, their differences make them beautiful, whether it’s in their appearance or personality or lifestyle or choices. Our differences don’t give us the legitimacy to judge and insult each other regardless of what they are. I just hope we can reach to a point where we can learn to unite and coexist in a plural society in order to evolve and move forward.”

Pictures credit: Quina Instagram Page