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A Peace Treaty

Posted on April 9, 2010 | 1 comment

A PEACE TREATY is the beautiful by-product of a Pakistani Muslin (Farah Malik) and a Libyan Jew (Dana Arbib). In 2008 they joined forces to produce luxurious hand crafted accessories inspired by Middle Eastern, Asian, European and African influences. But here’s where it really gets interesting, they only work with local artisans in regions immersed in sociopolitical conflicts. Why? They want to provide employment to artists so they can preserve their trade. They want to provide fair trade wage rates (that can be up to 8 times the local rate) so they can better artisans circumstances. They want to enlighten people throughout the world about social issues that are important to them. In summary, they want to make the world a better place.

Their design inspiration starts with Arbib. She forms a picture in her mind of what she wants to see people in or something she is lusting over. Then she sketches it out for Farah and they start building on the ideas.

With ideas in hand they look for trades that are dying out because of industrialization and conversion to factory-based manufacturing. They research the type of handicrafts a region offers or the types of colors and patterns used within the county’s aesthetic culture. Story boards are made to inspire them as they look for interesting ways to modernize what a country has to offer and then translate it into one great accessory.

Each season they select a different region to work in. Their new spring collection, Sozan Doz, was done in partnership with Afghan Hands. Each scarf is hand-embroidered by a widow in Afghanistan using traditional embroidery skills. In an interview with the Cut they told Sharon Clott, “It wasn’t easy, because infrastructurally, Afghanistan is harder even than Iraq to work in,” said Malik. “We had to airlift fabric in. The whole project took three or four times longer than any of the other projects we’ve done. It was a total labor of love.” Their line is a total labor of love-Arbib’s love of graphic, textile and product design and Malik’s love for social justice and human rights-combined to create beautiful, lovely things.

While A Peace Treaty is mainly known for its exotic, understated, exquisitely crafted scarves, this Spring (2010) they introduced a jewelry line, Sunari which means “female goldsmith”. The jewels are inspired by the Kuchi nomadic tribes of Afghanistan and the Turkoman tribes of Central Asia. There are 12 pieces in the collection and no two pairs of earrings or necklace are the same. Each hanging amulet and talisman is 24 karate gold-plated and has beautiful intricate geometric carvings.

Their Capra collection of scarves and shawls features hand-woven Himalayan cashmere made from the shedding hairs of Capra Hircus mountain goats. The items are woven using the finest and silkest hairs of the goat and the skill and craftsmanship learned and passed down through many generations. The Kilim collection of scarves, stoles and neckerchiefs features hand-blocked printed silks. The process embodies the art of carpet weaving found in traditional Central Asian kilim carpets.