S5E7. Choice, Labor, and Tatreez with Noora from Taita Leila

NOORA IS THE CO-FOUNDER OF TAITA LEILA, A FEMINIST SOCIAL ENTERPRISE AND FASHION LABEL REIMAGINING PALESTINIAN EMBROIDERY—KEEPING ANCESTRAL STORIES ALIVE IN WAYS THAT WOULD MAKE OUR GRANDMOTHERS PROUD (@taitaleila). Inspired by her grandmother Leila Khalidi, author of The Art of Palestinian Embroidery, Noora shares how her family’s legacy shaped Taita Leila as a platform to keep ancestral stories alive through contemporary fashion. We begin with her Jerusalemite roots, her grandmother’s influence, and the role of embroidery as both archive and living tradition.

She reflects on starting the project in 2014 as a way to reconnect with Palestine, reimagining elements of the thobe for modern wear. Noora also speaks to the political realities of producing in Palestine—checkpoint delays, settler violence, and, more recently, navigating the genocide’s impact.

Finally, she shares how Taita Leila adapted by working with displaced Gazan embroiderers in Egypt, honoring heritage while supporting women through income, skills, and artistic expression. She frames the brand’s feminist ethos as rooted in empowerment and choice, and sees tatreez as both living resistance and wearable heritage.

You’ll hear about:

>> 1:04: Noora’s connection to Palestine

>> 4:08: Exploring tatreez through Taita Leila (the person and the brand)

>> 10:39: Crowdfunding and getting started

>> 13:21: Producing in Palestine

>> 21:55: What’s next for the brand

>> 27:27: Defining feminism

>> 32:00: Evolving views on female empowerment and labor

>> 36:40: Customers and reception to Taita Leila

>> 42:49: Taita Leila’s embroiderers

>> 47:24: Bilingual Palestinian Embroidery Booklets

>> 53:30: Major life lesson from tatreez

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