Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes.
And as tailors and clothing brands around the world, both large and small, have seen orders dry up as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, many have shifted their focus onto one item that is still in demand – the face mask.
Nabil Saber Abu Ghabin is no different. In his workshop in Gaza City, the 60-year-old tailor has reorientated his production to manufacture face masks from the cotton checkered cloth that he would normally use to make traditional Palestinian keffiyeh.
The traditional Arabian head dress, a longstanding symbol of Palestinian resistance, is now being reconfigured into a potentially life-saving accessory.
Many of Abu Ghabin’s masks are being exported to Europe.
