Black & White Makateeb Keffiyeh: A Message Carried in Thread

Posted on December 18 2025

The Black & White Makateeb Keffiyeh: A Message Carried in Thread

Some pieces are made to decorate. Others are made to speak. The new Black & White Makateeb Keffiyeh sits firmly in the second category. Crafted from 100% cotton and hand-embroidered by SEP Artists, it is a keffiyeh woven with heritage, presence and intention.

Makateeb (مكاتيب) — Messages from Gaza

The Makateeb pattern, written in Arabic as مكاتيب and literally meaning “messages”, was born in Gaza in the 1800s. It is part of a long Levantine tradition of using geometry and repetition to communicate what could not always be written in words.

In this pattern, shapes become a kind of textile script — a visual language used to carry personal stories, memory and identity. Families would recognise certain motifs as “theirs”; emotions, hopes and blessings were translated into repeated stitches and lines. Makateeb is, quite literally, a sequence of messages woven into cloth.

Why Our Artists Chose Makateeb

SEP Artists in Jordan chose the Makateeb motif for this new keffiyeh because of its cultural depth and emotional clarity. It is a pattern that already speaks about communication, connection and the need to be heard.

From there, they made it their own. In this SEP edition, some of the embroidered “messages” are intentionally left incomplete. Certain lines break off; certain geometric sequences stop just before they resolve.

This is not a production error. It is a decision — a quiet, powerful gesture of remembrance for lives interrupted and stories left untold. The pattern itself carries those absences, holding space for messages that can no longer be fully written.

From Poly–Acrylic to Pure Cotton

Last year, SEP released a limited Makateeb edition in a poly–acrylic blend designed for performance and durability. That piece travelled far and wide and is now part of many wardrobes.

This new Makateeb is a deliberate shift: 100% cotton. Black and white. A return to a calmer, more grounded hand-feel.

The cotton base brings a different presence to the pattern — softer against the skin, slightly matte in finish, closer to traditional everyday keffiyehs while still meeting SEP’s contemporary quality standards. It is designed to be worn often, not saved for special occasions.

Crafted by Hand, Signed by Its Artist

Like every SEP keffiyeh, the Black & White Makateeb is made by Artists, not factories. Each piece is hand-embroidered by a SEP Artist working from home, at her own pace, with the autonomy to balance work and life on her terms.

When a keffiyeh is finished, the Artist signs it. That signature is both a mark of authorship and a small act of recognition: this piece is not anonymous, and neither is its maker.

By choosing this keffiyeh, you are not simply buying a pattern. You are supporting dignified, skill-based income for refugee and local women in Jordan, while carrying a design that holds centuries of Palestinian textile knowledge.

How to Wear the Makateeb Keffiyeh

The Black & White Makateeb Keffiyeh is intentionally versatile:

Wrap it traditionally around the shoulders for full coverage and warmth.
Fold it into a triangle and wear it high on the neck with a coat or blazer.
Style it as a headscarf or hood for colder days and early-morning commutes.
Layer it over minimal, monochrome looks — letting the pattern do the talking.

However you wear it, the Makateeb motif keeps its original purpose: to carry messages — now mixed with your own.

A Quiet Statement

SEP has never believed in loud slogans for the sake of it. The Black & White Makateeb Keffiyeh is not a slogan; it is a quiet statement.

It holds a pattern born in Gaza in the 1800s. It honours stories that have been interrupted. It supports Artists who continue to work, create and provide for their families. And it leaves space for you to decide what you want your own “messages” to be.