Disarming Design from Palestine is a contemporary design label that aims to support Palestinian makers, raise awareness, and share alternative narratives about life in Palestine. More than a design brand, it is a movement that uses creativity as a tool for resistance and solidarity.
Just before the 2025 edition of the Belgian Fair Trade Week, Enabel’s Trade for Development Centre met with Annelys de Vet, co-founder of the project, and Ibrahim Muhtadi, an architect and designer from Gaza.
The history of Disarming Design dates back to 2011-2012, when it was born out of a collaboration between Annelys de Vet, then head of a master’s degree in design at Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam and Khaled Hourani, then the director of the International Art Academy in Ramallah, and both of their students. Workshops were organised, giving life to objects that, beyond their aesthetic appeal, tell a story. “Disarming Design from Palestine is a contemporary design label that works with and supports Palestinian makers in their livelihood and development of design and artisanal objects. It’s also an important instrument to raise awareness and to spread other stories about Palestinian life.” explains Annelys de Vet.
Her commitment to the Palestinian cause was deeply marked by an initial encounter in 2007, when she co-created a “Subjective Atlas of Palestine” in cooperation with Khaled Hourani, a Palestinian contemporary conceptual artist, curator and writer. This project opened her eyes to the history of the occupation, transforming her perception of the role of art and design in imagining other futures. “Having been trained in the Netherlands, becoming an artist or a designer is often not a political decision. But when you decide to do that in Palestine, it means something else entirely. Everything you do becomes inherently political. So how do you then situate an artistic practice? What does it mean?”, she stresses.
Ibrahim Muhtadi, an architect and designer from Gaza, joined the project after a workshop in 2015. His own story is a poignant testimony to the challenges faced by Palestinians. Forced to flee Gaza following the events of October 7, he lost his home and studio. Now based in Belgium he’s coordinating Disarming design from Palestine’s projects, communicating with customers and partners, coordinating the production of designs in Palestine and following up the on-line orders.
“Disarming”, a powerful and evocative term
“Palestinians are too often represented in mainstream media as ‘the other’ — either reduced to victims or framed as aggressors. The question then becomes: how can we disarm these representations? How can design unsettle or break the narratives that dehumanise, and instead open space for complexity, dignity, and voices from within? And how can design contribute to disarming the structures of occupation? Not through force, but through the persistence of making, sharing, and refusing to disappear”, explains Annelys de Vet.
Craftwork and storytelling
Each creation is designed to combine practical function and narrative. The approach is often centered on a ‘twist’ – a small detail or modification that prompts reflection.
“Take the Beyond First Impression ceramic bowl, for example” says Annelys de Vet. “The function of this product is to be a bowl. It’s completely white and blank on the outside. But when you open it, you can see all the beauty, colours, details and rich ornamentation. The design by designer Ghadeer Dajani is a response to a historical mosque in the now so called ‘Jewish quarter’ in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was completely undone from its indigenous, Palestinian presence and “renovated” to appeal to the colonisers’ white-washed outlook. But inside, you can discover all the beautiful details and colours, just as the ceramic bowl.”
Another eloquent example is the Measuring Inequality Jar, a graduated jug that visually illustrates the inequality of access to water between Israelis and Palestinians. “What I like about this product is that you can use it in your kitchen or on the table. At some point, someone might wonder why these numbers are as they are. Then the conversation can start. There’s also a label with more information, so you can read more about water use and learn about the situation on the ground.” explains Annelys de Vet.
The Bird Plate by Hebron-based artist Maher Shaheen (photo heading) reflects the deep-rooted culture of hospitality in Palestine, where guests are always welcomed with abundant food. Generosity is expressed through offering more than enough, often leaving leftovers. Shaheen’s design encourages sharing that abundance with the birds — extending care beyond the household. The plate is therefore named the Bird Plate, a gesture that turns hospitality into a quietly poetic act of reciprocity.
“This product is very special to me and close to my heart,” says Ibrahim Muhtadi, referring to the Silver Solidarity set, one of his recent designs created in collaboration with Disarming Design. “It marks a new design in a new chapter of my life. It’s inspired by the classic keffiyeh pattern, traditionally worn by Palestinians especially in Gaza as a daily scarf. When I left Gaza to Cairo, and later to Europe, I began to notice how the keffiyeh carried a deeper meaning. At events, on the streets, I saw people wearing it not just as a garment or scarf, but as a bold symbol of solidarity with Palestine.”
“As a jewellery designer and maker, I naturally see things through the lens of craft and jewelry making. I’m always thinking about how objects or patterns can be transformed into wearable jewellery pieces. That’s how the idea for this set came, started by sketching the keffiyeh’s pattern and translating it into jewellery, and the result is the Silver Solidarity set, which now part of the Disarming Design from Palestine collection.
More than Fair Trade
The collaboration between designers and producers is based on the principles of fair trade.
According to Annelys de Vet: “Fairness is embedded at every level of the project. It is not only about the story we tell, but about how we relate to the people, materials, and contexts we work with. We choose our collaborations carefully, we work locally, and we ensure that everyone involved is compensated fairly. Production is always small-scale and intentional, and we avoid mass production entirely. The aim is to work in ways that support dignity, sustainability, and a more just world.
I also think what’s special about art and craft practices in Palestine is that they’re deeply rooted in community and heritage. In our work and design thinking, we really want to respect this heritage, which is not just about the materials used, but also about the community, the location and the materials. In terms of the environment, we work with local available resources, and don’t use plastic. And we work with existing production methods as much as possible. We also try to be as circular as possible as an organisation.
We try to sustain the project through the sales of the products, and whatever comes in goes straight back into the work — into developing new designs, organising workshops, and supporting the makers. The focus is really on strengthening the community around the project. So it’s not just about the objects themselves, but about the relationships, the shared learning, and the networks that continue to grow from them.”
On challenges and creativity
Given the current situation, it’s a little embarrassing to ask about the challenges facing Palestinian artisans, but Ibrahim Muhtadi provides an in-depth answer to the question: “Actually, the ongoing genocide is the main challenge. For example, imagine how I as an artist or designer was working in my own studio in Gaza. I’m connected to my environment, my culture, my resources, my colleagues and craftspeople. But unfortunately, most of these resources and my community have been completely destroyed. In Gaza, it’s really difficult, and challenging , to produce things or to think about art and crafts under such unhumanitarian conditions.
Even before the current situation, we were under blockade. It’s a way of life, it’s not just for one, two or three months. We were suffering from a lack of basic supplies, raw materials, tools, and even spare parts for machines. Everything and most of processes require a complicated and long , coordination to obtain, and sometimes it was forbidden.
One of the biggest challenges we have faced so far is the difficulty of movement, travelling and attending events out of Gaza . We’ve missed out on many workshops, courses and exhibitions. I believe that being able to travel and participate in such events is very important for artists. It creates opportunities to exchange knowledge, ideas and learn from each other.
On top of that, there’s a massive emotional burden of living under occupation and witnessing the genocide..
So yes, we face enormous challenges. But we are constantly pushed to find new ways — to adapt, to invent, to keep creating. Even under these conditions, we continue to produce beautiful work. That, in itself, is a form of resistance.”
Between Gaza, Ramallah and Brussels: forging links through design
The organisation aspires to become a more collectively owned entity, flexible and adaptable to changing realities. Collaborations with Birzeit University in Palestine are underway to develop new designs. “We are connected to a wide community of makers, designers, and cultural workers through the workshops and events we organise. After the genocide began, I was unsure if it was appropriate to approach makers about developing new products, we didn’t know in what conditions people were living. In the West Bank, where production is ongoing, people were actually relieved to receive new orders. The local economy and mobility have been heavily disrupted, so international orders helped sustain livelihoods and increase exposure. It is more urgent than ever to raise awareness about our European complicity* in the genocide and the ongoing occupation. In a climate of increasing polarisation, nuance, complexity and poetry are being pushed aside. I believe our objects and our project hold space for these — they can open conversations, invite for solidarity, and offer another way of seeing.”
Speaking about the future of the project, Annelys de Vet explains that the forthcoming gallery, in the building where Disarming Design from Palestine has its new offices, on Place du Samedi 13 in Brussels, will be key to strengthening its community dimension. “We would like to develop a new exhibition there every two months. Alongside this presentation, we want to organise an opening event that will bring people together, connected to a workshop, conversation or film screening.”
The organisation works closely with various regional partners, such as Kunsthal Gent, the Palestinian Embassy in Belgium, the Sint Lucas School of Art in Antwerp and other cultural institutions, strengthening a vast network of solidarity.
Disarming Design from Palestine helps artisans, designers and artists in Palestine continue producing and supporting their families, while preserving cultural and heritage crafts and telling stories of Palestine.
For those wishing to support Disarming Design from Palestine, the purchase of their products is a direct act of support. What’s more, becoming a monthly or annual donor, contributes to the sustainability of this essential project.
Interview by Samuel Poos, TDC project manager
Website: https://disarmingdesign.com/
* Ed.: Complicity in genocide is a crime defined by the 1948 Convention. For it to be established, it would be necessary to prove that a member state or the EU knowingly aided and abetted the accused state (Israel) in carrying out acts of genocide, with the specific intention that these acts be committed (the intentio of the crime).
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