Calling a brand ‘effortlessly cool’ might be a well-worn cliché, but it perfectly sums up the raw, authentic energy of London-based fashion pop-up 3EIB. The community-driven platform highlights SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) fashion and culture through regular events around the English capital, inviting emerging—and sometimes more established—designers of SWANA heritage from across the globe to showcase their wares.

The word 3EIB might mean ‘shame’ in Arabic, but there’s nothing of the sort to be found amongst the clever tailoring, stylish streetwear, joyous regional beats, and radical artwork and self-expression which form the bones of these pop-ups.

“The plan was always to reclaim the word,” says Dania Arafeh, the founder of 3EIB, who set up the platform after seeing the lack of Arab creative representation on major art and fashion e-commerce sites, including those she’d worked at herself. “I realised that you can’t rely on the existing structures,” says Arafeh who was a senior account manager at Artsy. “If you want to support your people and build a niche market, you kind of have to do it on your own.”

Arafeh, 32, chose to focus on fashion rather than art because “it had a broader reach and was easier logistically,” she explains. The decision was also fuelled by a lifelong passion: “For me, fashion and identity go hand in hand,” she says. “It was a big part of navigating my teenage years; be it experimenting with clashing colours and patterns or making jewellery out of trinkets I’d find around the house.”

After leaving her full-time job in November of 2022, Arafeh, who is of Palestinian heritage, visited her homeland to cultivate relationships with artisans and creatives over a three-month period. “I had connections in other SWANA markets, the UAE in particular, through my work and also my interest in Arab designers, but there was a gap that needed filling with Palestine.”

Almost a year later, in autumn 2023, Arafeh launched 3EIB during London Fashion Week. “At this point, it was primarily a fashion e-commerce site and an in-person pop-up event showcasing the SWANA designs and their designers,” she explains. “It was important to fly designers in to participate at the pop-up to help build a global community that transcended the borders that have been put in place.” Brands from Dubai, Tunisia, Palestine, Morocco, and more, many showing their work to a western market for the first time, joined designers from the diaspora—from cities such as Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam, as well as from the UK.

The launch was a huge success, but global events in Gaza meant the structure was short-lived. “Fashion seemed less important at that point,” remembers Arafeh, who paused the online shop and instead used 3EIB to organise events to help raise funds and educate people on Palestinian solidarity. The brand returned to fashion nine months later, but the halt in e-commerce was made permanent to focus on in-person events, utilising the community and connections the brand had built up over the previous few months. Since then, 3EIB has partnered with a variety of organisations and individuals, from the V&A Museum, Southbank Centre and Shubbak Festival to British-Yemeni designer Kazna Asker, artists Nada Elkalaawy and Malak Mattar, and illustrator and journalist Mona Chalabi.

3EIB’s events have received praise from across the SWANA community and garnered press acclaim in high-fashion titles in both the UK and UAE, and not just for selling incredible fashion but for showcasing the breadth and beauty of SWANA cultures. Next, Arafeh has her heart set on a UAE event, which would be the brand’s first pop-up outside of the UK. “I’ve been visiting the UAE sporadically since I was a kid because I have family who live in both Dubai and Qatar, but since my grandparents moved to Dubai a few years ago, I’ve been visiting every year,” she says before explaining the importance of a UAE pop-up for the brand. “Our mission is a global one, 3EIB is bridging the gap between those in the homeland and those in the diaspora, and we want to have a united conversation, so that means hosting it beyond London.” While no date is set for 3EIB’s first regional pop-up, Arafeh is hoping to announce more details later in the year. Until then, we asked her to share some of her favourite SWANA brands for our readers to get excited about.

ARAFEH’S ARTISTS

VANDART

This is a new Lebanese/UAE brand that recently launched their first collection, and it was part of our pop-up in June 2026. Tania, the founder of Vandart, has spent a career working in fashion and designing collections for lots of famous brands, so there’s a lot of expertise behind this inaugural collection. I love how the pieces are classic with an artistic twist, designed for the modern woman and very well produced. I’ve got this washed denim skirt from the brand, and I love how it hugs my body—the shape and colour reminds me of a mermaid’s tail.

BENZENE

Another new brand that was part of our June 2026 pop-up is Benzene, which launched this year. It’s a Palestinian brand that is based in Berlin. I love their branding and social campaigns; lots of thirst trap content, which is just what you want for a hot summer launch. All the founders are Palestinian, and they do a lot to support those on the ground. For example, they’re currently fundraising to build and renovate a school in Tal al-Hawa in Gaza for 1,000 children. And they’ll often donate profits to their causes. I’ve got their stunning bikini set and towel bag, and I bought my partner the swim trunks.

SHABAB INTERNATIONAL

When asked about my favourite UAE brand, I have to mention Shabab (brainchild of Iraqi-Canadian creative Cheb Moha) because they’re probably the first Arab brand I ever knew about. They’re the OGs; I think they’ve been going for over 10 years. We’ve never collaborated together, but we know each other, and I’ve got this great tie-dye jumper from the brand—I love how colourful and fun it is. My partner, Ahmed, is the real fan, he’s probably got over 10 pieces from them.

HIND HILAL

Hind Hilal, a Bethlehem-based brand I’ve long admired, was part of our very first 3EIB pop-up, and I’ve built a special connection with the designer, Hind. From our first call we connected, and our values and sentiments feel very much aligned. What I love most is the combination of simple and sculptural. Hind has a background in architecture, and you can see how much she pays attention to the shapes and angles. There is also close attention to the material, not just how it feels, but ensuring it’s ethically and organically produced. I have a beige button vest shirt that has a tie detail on one of the shoulders, and I’ve worn it to quite a few special occasions.

TRASHY CLOTHING

This Ramallah-based brand literally rocked my world when I first discovered them in my early 20s. At the time, I was naive and still struggling with my identity and found so much power and freedom in their work. I’m lucky to have worked with Trashy Clothing a lot, they’ve taken part in many of the pop-ups, and we even collaborated with them on a fashion show we produced for Shubbak Festival at The Southbank Centre – where we dressed inspiring individuals (creatives and activists) who have contributed to collective liberation. I’ve got lots of pieces from them, my favourite is probably a curtain-style wrap skirt that shows scenes of Palestine and has thick, gold tassels.

NO BORDERS

No Borders are a South Asian brand, I think they deserve an honorary mention because they’re a real inspiration for 3EIB. They create everything with local artisans and also collaborate with SWANA brands on their website. They do a lot for the community and have also showcased in Dubai at Sole DXB. I’ve grown very close to the founder, Kanika—it’s rare in this industry to find people who have unshakable values and want to support people they believe in without expecting anything in return, so she’s become a mentor and friend this past year, and I’m so grateful for everything she does. We collaborated together at our June 2026 pop-up, they curated the garden space and brought the best vibes. It was beautiful to see our communities come together. I’m obsessed with their in-house collection and want so many pieces from it, I definitely need to get my hands on one of their embroidered, cropped shirts.