SWAG from SWANA

Fashion is a globally celebrated medium. It’s democratic and borderless, encompassing our idiosyncrasies and wildest dreams. The fashion industry is also steeped in ‘clout’. It’s flashy, outrageous, and exclusive, and for a long time, it’s been primarily a Western phenomenon. Hosted in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, fashion week is, of course, a grand celebration of all who dare to enter; yet, for too long, there has been a distinct disregard for the fashion community stemming from the SWANA region (South West Asia and North Africa). Combatting this serious lack of representation, Shubbak Festival seeks to support the diversity and talent of Arab artists and creatives through a series of programmed events across London, with their 2025 celebrations kicking off on Friday, 23rd May. 

Shubbak translates to ‘window’ in Arabic, and the festival certainly lives up to its namesake, offering a small window into a world of unparalleled creative spirit and community. This year, Shubbak has commissioned the Palestinian community-led fashion platform, 3EIB, to host a fashion pop-up, celebrating style, designers, and makers from over 30 brands across the Middle East. Founded by Palestinian entrepreneur Dania Arafeh in 2023, 3EIB was developed to nurture a protected space for SWANA creatives, offering elevation and challenging the conventions that have dominated the fashion industry for too long. Now, in a new project, 3EIB will take over the Southbank Centre with a three-day fashion programme from 23rd to 25th May. The pop-up features a curation of 30 brands from across the region, many showcasing in London for the first time. Fashioning a space that brings together a myriad of talented and debuting designers, 3EIB will set up shop in the Southbank, inviting guests to step into a fashion sphere we’re not usually privy to. Offering the chance to meet designers and explore their individual aesthetic worlds, the space fosters a sense of community and discovery, which, in an often homogenizing industry, is a breath of fresh air.

Celebrating a more globalized attitude towards fashion, 3EIB will support a handful of brands with their London debut, including Trashy Clothing, Nöl Collective, and Creative Space Beirut. Spanning from ready-to-wear to streetwear, to intricate textures and bold prints, the pop-up promises fashion at its best, when it’s daring and unapologetic. Yes, London has always been a great shopping destination, but 3EIB invites us to look (and shop) beyond our periphery, to engage with designers from an area of the world that is steeped in so much global disregard. While clothes and style will, of course, take center stage across the pop-up weekend, 3EIB identifies community as a multi-medium affair. Opening in the Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer, the space will be transformed into shoppable areas broken up by leisure spots with board games and rugs, conversation corners by Culture Mocktail, and henna by Huq That, all set to sounds from the regions. More than a pop-up, the 3EIB takeover represents a small shubbak (window) into a world that exists outside the confines fiercely guarded by the creative industries. Food, drinks, music, and fashion are how we relate to one another; it’s how we tell stories about ourselves and our homes. If we’re only engaging with these stories from a singular region, one characterised by its privilege and power, then we risk our inner and outer worlds suffering at the hands of homogeneity. So, now that you’re here, we suggest you make some time for yourself next weekend (23rd-25th) to explore 3EIB’s Southbank pop-up, and while you may come for the clothes, you’ll stay for the community. Explore more here.