Profile: Islam Nashef – Only Natural Design Competitions

Islam Nashef

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem

My name Islam Nashef, an artist and designer from Taybeh in occupied Palestine. I studied fashion design and jewelry design, with a particular focus on shoemaking. I don't see myself as a traditional fashion designer, but rather as a producer of art through fashion - using materials and experimentation as essential tools for personal and existential expression. My experience as a Palestinian living under occupation is not merely a backdrop to my work, it is deeply embedded in it. My daily life, my language, my movement, and even my relationship with objects are shaped by this political reality. Therefore, my designs often reflect a layered, emotionally charged identity. I draw inspiration from my surroundings, emotions, and interactions with unconventional materials. Fabric, leather, and metal become spaces for exploring the self and archiving emotion. Within the palestinian art scene, fashion is rarely recognized as a valid form of contemporary art. I aim to challenge this exclusion and propose fashion as an expressive medium capable of carrying political narratives, human experience, and aesthetic vision. For me, fashion is not ornament or commodity - it's a visual language, a presence, and a form of soft resistance.

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MACHO

Category: Footwear

Competitions: Fashion Competition 2026

This work is a material and visual exploration of power and presence through the design of a bold, sculptural shoe. The piece was developed using vegetable-tanned Cuoio leather, chosen for its density and visual depth qualities that allowed the material to be shaped almost like a carved object rather than a conventional shoe. Throughout the making process, the leather revealed characteristics similar to wood: structured, solid, and refined, giving the final form a strong architectural identity. The shoe was constructed by layering leather piece by piece, highlighting the craftsmanship of traditional leatherworking while reinterpreting it through a contemporary design language. The design draws inspiration from the exaggerated image of the macho man, featuring a long sharply curved toe and broad geometric proportions. A layered detail slightly opens to reveal another form beneath it, creating the impression of one “organ” emerging from another, a gesture symbolizing raw power and exposure. Although the material is solid, the shoe remains comfortable through the use of a custom anatomical last shaped around the natural form of the foot. The final piece combines craftsmanship, structure, and identity into a wearable sculptural object.