Bella Freud & Hoping Foundation & Hideous Kinky

I've been meaning to do a longer post on the Hoping Foundation's recent (July) charity event that raised 430,000 pounds sterling for Palestinian children. Among those who performed were: David Gilmour and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, Nick Cave, Tom Jones, and Kate Moss (yes, she sang back-up and played tambourine). And maybe I will in future still do that post.

But then I came across this photo (source here) of Kate Moss and Hoping Foundation co-founder Bella Freud at the event.

I guess if I lived in the UK I might know that (a) Bella is the great-granddaughter of Sigmund; (b) she is a well-known fashion designer; (c) she has been an outspoken critic of Israel and (d) she is the elder sister of Esther Freud, author of the autobiographical novel Hideous Kinky (made into a fairly decent movie, starring Kate Winslet).

Having seen the movie (but not yet having read the book), here's what I like about what I learned about Bella Freud. Hippy mom who is way into Sufism drags her daughters off to Morocco in search of spirituality and exoticism. The elder daughter, who survives this difficult ordeal, which includes a nearly-fatal bout of streptococcus, returns to the UK and...grows up to become a successful fashion designer with a political conscience.

So let's not overdo it with making fun of the "Orientalism" of all those hippy treksters and seekers after spirituality who descended on Morocco in the sixties and seventies.

From the streets of the NYC: Kufiyas at Kate Moss's Topshop

My comrade Dave just sent me these photos, which he took on his iPhone. They are from Kate Moss's new store, Topshop, located on Broome and Broadway. 20 bucks. The only description on the tag, says Dave, is the color.


It's worth recalling that back in 2007, Kate Moss was involved in some charity kissing to raise money for Palestinian children, in an event sponsored by the Hoping Foundation. At the time, Topshop's Kate Moss line also featured kufiyas, marketed as "Tablecloth Scarves."

Beckham in Kufiya-Shemagh; Kate Moss for Palestine (Kufiyaspotting #16)

Thanks to Tom, I've now located a photo of Beckham in a kufiya. These things have now become quite the thing in the UK. (A forthcoming article in the New Internationalist provides more details.)

Urban Outfitters in the UK markets the black-and-white one as the "Shemagh Scarf" at 15 quid for women and 6.99 for men, and in pink and purple, as the "Heart Woven Desert Scarf."

According to the online catalogue, "The Shemagh scarf has been given the girly touch. Now in pretty colours and decorated with hearts, it won't provide you with much camouflage in the desert, but it sure is pretty." And 9.99 quid. (If you look close, you can see the hearts. But it's also got the distinctive kufiya checkered pattern too.)

Meanwhile, Topshop (known lately for its Kate Moss line) is marketing them as "Tablecloth Scarves," in purple (for 12 quid).



And just to show you how different the political atmosphere in the UK is when it comes to Palestine, tycoon Philip Green paid 60,000 pounds at an auction for the Palestinian charity Hoping Foundation for a kiss with Kate Moss--but then gave the chance to kiss to Jemima Khan. The event netted 200,000 pounds. Other donors included Hugh Grant and Imran Khan; attendants included Jerry Hall and her sorta stepdaughter Jade Jagger--whose own mom is pretty radical.


Kate (along with Elle McPherson and Jemima Khan) was also in attendance on June 21, when Elton John netted $200,000 for the Hoping Foundation, getting paid to sing Elvis' "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" Nick Cave, Shane McGowan, Mick Jones, Lulu, Chrissie Hynde (backed by Jeff Beck on guitar) and Bryan Adams also sang at the event, which raised $700,000 for Palestinian children.

Palestinian children really need this help. Where are the Jeff Becks and the Chrissie Hynde's of the US? (Or maybe it's that we don't have a Karma Nabulsi to organize events like this?)

I'm on the hunt for photos of Colin Farrell, Nicole Richie, and Cameron Diaz, who have also been spotted in the kufiya according to this article in the Palestine Chronicle.