Latest news with #ResoluteRGL
The National
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Story behind Resolute RGL, Palestinian Oscar winner Basel Adra's shoe brand
When Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra arrived on the red carpet at the Oscars on Sunday evening, he was wearing shoes to express solidarity and support for Palestine. As co-director of No Other Land – which scooped the Oscar for Best Documentary – Adra arrived alongside colleagues Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham, several of whom wore Palestinian scarfs and keffiyehs around their necks. Adra, however, showed his support via his footwear. His white trainers are by Resolute RGL, a trainer start-up he co-launched that works with the women's weaving cooperative of the Palestinian South Hebron Hills, run by his mother Kifah Adra. Each shoe features strips of traditional Palestinian tatreez embroidery, in tones of terracotta and sky blue, on a white ground. These pieces of hand-worked cross stitch have then been sewn onto the eyestay – the reinforced areas around the eyelets that hold the laces – and on the heel. The trainers are offered in the same colours of white, sky blue and terracotta. 'This brand represents my people's heritage and tradition,' Adra wrote on Instagram. He also shared a link to the brand's Kickstarter page for the launch of the shoes. The shoes are made from recycled materials and hand made, according to its social media page. Adra co-founded Resolute RGL in 2024 with Joseph Levin, offering a selection of linen clothes with Tatreez embroidery. The pair are now using the Academy Awards to officially launch the new trainers, no doubt hoping to catch a global audience. The shoes are already gaining support, with musician Peter Gabriel posting a photo of himself wearing them. The Palestinian women's weaving cooperative was founded in 2005 to provide an income for women who had lost their olive groves and sheep to settler encroachment and violence. It provides a community and support while helping to keep traditional weaving and embroidery skills alive. Now, with the official launch of Resolute RGL coming on the back of such a global event as the Oscars, it could well secure the funding it needs to offer shoes on scale. It also allows those with even a passing interest in Palestine to express support, while adding a spring to their step.
The National
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
No Other Land filmmaker represents Palestine on Oscars red carpet
Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra showed support for Palestine on the Oscar red carpet in Los Angeles on Sunday. The co-director of the Academy Award-nominated film No Other Land wore shoes by Resolute RGL, a trainer start-up brand he co-founded featuring embroidery by the Women's Weaving Cooperative of the Palestinian South Hebron Hills, run by Adra's mother Kifah Adra. "This brand represents my people's heritage and tradition," Adra wrote on Instagram, also sharing a link to the brand's Kickstarter page for the launch of the shoes. In addition, Adra and his No Other Land collaborators Hamdan Ballal, Basel Adra, Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham posed with several people wearing the Palestinian flag and keffiyeh on the red carpet. Adra was not the only attendee to support Palestine at the Oscars on Sunday. Australian actor Guy Pierce, nominated for his supporting performance in The Brutalist, wore a "Free Palestine" pin featuring a dove on his lapel. Feminist grassroots organisation Codepink staged protests outside the event, with protesters chanting, "Hollywood you can't hide. We charge you with genocide." "We are outside the Oscars in LA in protest of Hollywood's repeated attempts to silence Palestinian voices and support for Palestinian liberation," the organisation wrote on X. "As Hollywood arrives to the Oscars in their limousines, we're sending them a message they cannot ignore: Palestine will be free!" the organisation added. The X account RightNowViews shared a video of the events, saying that the protestors temporarily blocked the road to the Oscars "delaying guests from arriving," but that the Los Angeles police quickly formed a line to prevent the disruption. Unlike the previous ceremony, in which many attendees wore pins for the Artists4Ceasefire movement, this year's Oscar red carpet featured far less overt support for the Palestinian peace cause.
