Bella Hadid makes a statement in keffiyeh dress at Cannes: ‘Free Palestine forever’

Bella Hadid showed support for Palestine in a vintage keffiyeh dress in Cannes Thursday. GC Images

Bella Hadid is repping her roots.

The model honored her Palestinian heritage with her choice of outfit during the Cannes Film Festival 2024 on Thursday, hitting the Croisette clad in a vintage Michael and Hushi dress made out of keffiyeh fabric.

The keffiyeh is a traditional Arab headdress that’s become a marker of Palestinian solidarity and identity, and is easily identifiable by its checkered pattern and tassels; the catwalker previously wore one during a 2021 pro-Palestine rally in NYC.

The supermodel relaxed by the sea in the ruffled Michael and Hushi style. GC Images The front of Bella’s dress featured a tiered skirt. GC Images The model also wore rimless sunglasses and a white scrunchie. GC Images

It’s believed that the pattern symbolizes various elements of Palestinian life, with the fishnet design nodding to the Mediterranean Sea, the bold stripes standing in for local trade routes and the curvy lines denoting olive leaves.

Bella confirmed the origin of her outfit on her Instagram Story, writing, “#michaelandhushi @hushi5 Archival 2001 kiffeyeh dress Free Palestine forever.”

Styled by Molly Dickson, she paired the statement-making style with red Gucci mules, a white scrunchie, rimless sunglasses and gold hoop earrings.

She shared an image of the vintage dress on her Instagram Story along with a “Free Palestine” message. Bella Hadid/Instagram The supermodel wore keffiyehs wrapped around her head and shoulders during a 2021 pro-Palestinian rally in NYC. TheImageDirect.com Plenty of other protestors also wore the traditional garment. TheImageDirect.com

The 27-year-old model’s father, Mohamed Anwar Hadid, was born to a Palestinian Muslim family, and the style star’s long been vocal about Palestinian rights — especially now, amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Per the Cut, Michael and Hushi’s 2001 Palestinian-and-Iranian-inspired collection was met with some criticism and even included in a British Vogue article titled “Generation Terrorists.”

Notably, Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Carrie Bradshaw, once wore a black-and-white keffiyeh top from Michael and Hushi on an episode of “Sex and the City.”