MENA Fashion: Middle Beast Wear

MENA Street Fashion Scene:

Street wear in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region goes all the way back since the inception of companies such as Ashekman (a Lebanon based company) in 2001, where the concept has been continuously popularized and increasingly growing.

It has given rise to larger and more well funded organizations such as Jobedu in Jordan. Now there are companies that have done a good job at acquiring licensing agreements from large conglomerates such as Disney in order to better incorporate western culture with eastern culture. The main focus of these companies is to give the younger generation of the MENA region a more relatable line of clothing that fits their narrative and communicates their new way of thinking and expression. This brings us creative collaborations that include imagery from popular cartoons such as Captain Majed, Grendizer, Super Man, and many others.

The Middle Beast Wear Difference:

Rather than the typical fusion that was accomplished by earlier brands, Middle Beast has taken a completely different approach, where the brand's designs are inspired by Middle-eastern culture from across a vast timeline (rather than making childhood cartoon imagery the main focal point of their work). Founded by refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Palestine, the brand concentrates on patterns that come from traditional Arabian garments and ornaments. Some of their peaces drive inspiration from traditional Palestinian clothing patterns (which includes the more notable Keffiyeh scarf pattern)

The company makes it clear that the Levant identity is something which they want to conserve and honor through their uniqe take on Street Fashion. The Levant, otherwise known as the Shamen region, includes modern day Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. Rather than following the steps of previous brands within the region, Middle Beast has taken on the challenge of popularizing and modernizing imagery that is more rooted within the Arabian identity. 

To know about their latest and greatest, go to:

https://www.middle-beast.com/