Photo: Luigi Iorio/GC Images
The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, which can only mean one thing: Bella Hadid is feeding us once more. Every year, the supermodel uses the festival as her own sartorial playground, pushing the envelope and using fashion as a form of expression. Her impact has been profound enough for Vogue to dub her “the single most important person” on the Cannes red carpet. In the past, Hadid has both opted for conventionally beautiful moments — flowing red Cavalli gowns, poofy vintage Chanel dresses, and the seismic Schiaparelli “lung” look — but has also used her annual moment in the spotlight to pay homage to her Palestinian heritage.
Hadid, who is Palestinian and Dutch, has long been a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights, particularly in recent years amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza and human-rights violations in the West Bank. In 2024, Hadid went viral for wearing a vintage red-and-white “keffiyeh dress” designed by Michael Sears and Hushi Mortezaie. This year, she kept the tradition going by seemingly sporting a special piece of jewelry: a key with teeth that are in the shape of historic Palestine.
For Palestinians in diaspora, particularly those expelled in the 1948 Nakba, the key is a symbol of resistance, an homage to those who were forced from their homes with nothing more than their house keys in hand. More than anything, it’s a promise to return, one that’s passed down through generations. Fashion is rarely a space for real activism, but leave it to Hadid to seamlessly fuse the two.
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