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When thirty-year-old Palestinian Inas Dajani decided she wanted to purchase a silver necklace in the shape of a clitoris, she went to a jeweler to have it made, only for him to angrily refuse her request. And he wasn’t the only one to react this way: several jewelers refused her as well, which prompted her to change her approach—she would make the necklace herself. Her idea transformed into an awareness-raising project, as each piece carries a message and meaning. She began to carry it out with the help of her mother and some friends.
Dajani, a Palestinian from Bethlehem, never expected that her early passion for feminist activism would take on the dimensions of such a project that supports Arab women in Palestine, Jordan, and Tunisia, raising awareness about women’s bodies and women’s rights. She studied architecture at Birzeit University and holds a diploma in gender studies. She founded the Sletate project in 2021.
Sletate is a colloquial Palestinian word for circular, cuff-like bangles. These bracelets were once popular among Palestinian women, but they gradually started disappearing, and many young women today don’t know the meaning of the word. “We took it upon ourselves to revive the term and reuse it in a different context,” Dajani says.
The Sletate project involves designing accessories inspired by female genitalia. Dajani and her team present the pieces in an innovative way, with educational information accompanying each one.
“Our designs aim to support the Arab feminist movement by offering meaningful symbols for feminist women. We are redefining beauty and returning the female body to its natural context, free from stigma and shame, for it to become an integral part of our daily narratives,” Dajani tells Medfeminiswiya.
Dajani never learned how to make accessories professionally, but the combination of her design expertise and her passion for feminist activity pushed her to resort to jewelry to express her artistic vision, using her background in reproductive health for support.
“Why would I care about putting an ovary on a necklace or earrings?”
The main motivation behind launching Sletate was the absence of a space for women to discuss their issues. “Our markets today are filled with products and accessories that focus on superficial aesthetics or reflect social status,” the artist says. “What we offer is a deeper, more meaningful option.”
What distinguishes Sletate is its conviction that raising awareness shouldn’t be limited to conferences or corporate reports. It can happen in personal, intimate places. An accessory could spark a bold conversation about physical and reproductive health. When a woman wears earrings in the shape of ovaries, those around her are likely to ask her what they represent, and this could get the conversation going about ovaries—polycystic ovaries for example, which, despite being one of the most common health problems among women, is little known and little studied.
Customers’ reactions range from revelation to shock, but they all quickly turn to amazement when they hear the stories behind the pieces. “We rarely receive negative feedback,” Dajani shares. “But often people ask us, sarcastically, why I’d care about putting an ovary on a necklace or earrings. This question reflects the double standards we have when it comes to our bodies. We’d readily accept designs inspired by inanimate objects or plants, but when a woman’s body becomes the topic of discussion, it’s met with disapproval. Hence the importance of our message.”
Sletate has thousands of customers from around the world and nine points of sale in seven countries (the United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Jordan, and Tunisia), in addition to four points of sale in Palestine, including formerly in the Gaza Strip. Its products are also sold online in more than 20 countries, including Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, and the UAE.
It’s worth noting that 30% of profits go to supporting feminist work in Palestine and the Arab world.
The Sletate team feels the impact of their work when they hear stories of women who have created spaces for discussion and broken taboos by way of their jewelry. An inspiring story Dajani shared is of a young woman who gifted her friend, who was about to undergo a mastectomy, the “Perfection” earrings. One is in the shape of a body with two full breasts, and the other has one breast and the mark of a mastectomy.
Weeks later, Sletate received a message from the woman. She said it was the first time she’d felt that what she was going through was a testament to strength and survival, and that the earrings had become a constant reminder that femininity and beauty transcend physical appearance. “This confirmed to me that our message really is getting across, and that what we do goes beyond aesthetics and touches people’s souls,” Dajani adds.
The occupation hinders Sletate’s growth
The Sletate projects faces several challenges due to the Israeli occupation, including restrictions on the movement of people and goods between the West Bank and Gaza, and the complexities of shipping products through the border crossings. These restrictions impact the production chain of raw materials, which are affected by volatile prices due to the blockade. Furthermore, weak infrastructure makes manufacturing and distribution more difficult, especially during military escalations when communication with craftspeople and customers is cut off. Economic restrictions also limit the purchasing power of the local community, but the team still strives to provide high-quality products at reasonable prices.
“The biggest challenge is the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” Dajani says. “It’s difficult for us to talk about our products, out of respect for the suffering of our people, especially our team in Gaza. Our daily tasks have become a form of cultural resistance, reviving collective memory, and demanding justice for our people in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Sletate is not just a brand. It’s an act of resistance and a feminist identity deeply rooted in the Palestinian cause. “At Sletate,” Dajani continues, “we are proud of our direct contribution to supporting our people in Gaza and the West Bank by organizing donation campaigns for which we design unique pieces that express solidarity and resilience.”
Building feminist economic knowledge
Dajani is not content with making Sletate a profitable project; she also aims to have it demonstrate the presence of women in various fields. In the media, Sletate has emerged as a bold and influential feminist voice through its participation in local and international conferences and events. Its team has also organized awareness-raising workshops and discussion events on topics such as sexual health and combating gender-based violence.
They have vast ambitions for the future. Sletate has gone beyond raising awareness to building feminist economic knowledge and empowering a group of women economically by integrating them into the labor market.
Dajani is currently pursuing her graduate research in gender studies, entitled “Pleasure Under Siege: The Effects of European Colonial Legacies, Israeli Settler Colonialism, Religion, and Culture on Sexual Pleasure in Palestine,” and is seeking to integrate it with the Sletate project. “I am developing a feminist-based franchise model for wealth redistribution,” she explains, “which grants women from different countries sales and distribution rights. We have named it the ‘Feminist Expansion Partner.’ The model is still being tested.”
