When voting with your ballot doesn’t evoke the widespread change you’d imagined, you sometimes have to vote with your dollar. In the case of Gaza based brand Anat, your dollars go a long way to providing much-needed support to enterprising workers stuck in dreadful circumstances.
Gaza, under Israel’s draconian rule, suffers from a 52% unemployment rate and struggles to maintain any industry. Anat is attempting to change that, by producing embroidered denim jackets that are 100% locally produced. Made from start to finish in the area, even weaving the denim, the brand also shakes up the traditional gender roles one sees in manufacturing. Anat defies the outdated paradigm of men in the factory and women embroidering at home, and in the process uplifts people in need of a trade and employment. Israel’s military siege makes it difficult for Anat to operate, and the ubiquitous checkpoints make it challenging for the brand to get their product abroad, but they do it anyway!
The gender-neutral line of jackets all come in a cut reminiscent of a classic Type III trucker jacket. The washed-down jackets mainly differ in their embroidery, a geometric style endemic to the region. The Essence Jacket (seen above) is perhaps the most subtle, while the Opulence Jacket featuring a much larger motif on the back, as well as beadwork.
Though Israel’s most recent attacks on Palestinian civilians have backed up the checkpoints, now is still a good time to order. There may be a slight delay, but your purchase will uplift a blossoming new brand and supply you with a great new jacket for the coming season.
Available from $63 at ANAT International.
