INAASH WORLD FOUNDATION

What INAASH WORLD FOUNDATION does

Inaash Association (doing business as Inaash) is a Beirut-headquartered non-profit social enterprise founded in 1969 by Huguette Bechara El Khoury to create employment and income for Palestinian refugee women confined to camps in Lebanon. The organization's core activity is traditional Palestinian hand embroidery (tatreez), a centuries-old cross-stitch technique transferred generationally from mother to daughter. Inaash currently supports over 350 women artisans across five Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and has impacted more than 9,000 women since inception through training, income generation, and ancillary early-education services for artisans' children. The work is supported by an extensive archival library of regional embroidery motifs documented over more than 40 years by researcher Malak Al Husseini Abdulrahim, representing all regions of historic Palestine including Ramallah, Jaffa, Bethlehem, Hebron, Gaza, Jerusalem, Galilee, and Beersheba.

Inaash monetizes this artisan base through two complementary channels. First, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at inaash.org with worldwide shipping, selling a portfolio of products including Najaf wool and silk abayas ($430-$1,150), shawls (from $550), dresses ($165-$580), silk thobes (representing four months of handwork), home decor items (cushions, trays, coasters from $11-$320), accessories (clutches, eyewear covers), and framed art pieces (up to $2,500 for the Road Map to Gaza Coat). Second, wholesale distribution to a global network of 15+ retail partners, boutiques, and concept stores across Germany, France, UK, Sweden, Greece, Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Egypt. The organization releases seasonal collections (SS26 'To Ramallah', FW26 'Yusra') and operates a portfolio of named capsule collaborations with designers including Mona Hatoum, Samia Halaby, Nada Debs, Omar Joseph Nasser-Khoury (Omarvis), Joumana Ghandour, Creative Space Beirut, and Orient499.

Beyond product sales, Inaash has cultivated institutional cultural-preservation positioning, including the Twelve Windows project with Mona Hatoum exhibited at Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, and Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and co-production of the multi-award-winning documentary 'Stitching Palestine' with Forward Film Productions. The organization has received grant funding from Taawon (Palestinian heritage conservation organization) and operates standard marketing channels (owned website, email newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, WhatsApp, plus earned media including Associated Press coverage). No external equity investment, parent company, or funding rounds are disclosed; the entity is independently operated as a non-profit social enterprise.

Name

INAASH WORLD FOUNDATION

Legal name

Inaash Association

Website

https://inaash.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Inaash is a Beirut-based non-profit social enterprise, founded in 1969, that employs Palestinian refugee women across five Lebanese camps to produce traditional tatreez hand embroidery, selling abayas, shawls, home decor, and art pieces through global DTC e-commerce and wholesale retail partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Embroidery Apparel & Home Goods

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315), Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (459130), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (31599)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Stitch & Counted Thread Shops (CRALADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scarves/Shawls/Winter Neckwear Manufacturing (IMAOAFAD)

Keywords

• Hand-embroidered apparel
• Traditional Palestinian embroidery
• Artisan clothing and home decor
• Cultural heritage craft
• Refugee artisan products

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct product sales through owned e-commerce website (inaash.org) to consumers worldwide. Products include abayas, shawls, dresses, home decor, accessories, and art pieces with prices ranging from $11 to $2,500.
2. Wholesale to Retail Partners: Products sold wholesale to global network of retail partners and boutiques across Germany, Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, France, Sweden, Egypt, Greece, and UK

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Inaash World Foundation produces and sells hand-crafted clothing, accessories, and home decor items featuring traditional Palestinian tatreez (cross-stitch) embroidery. The organization employs Palestinian refugee women artisans across five refugee camps in Lebanon to stitch centuries-old motifs onto abayas, shawls, dresses, thobes, cushions, clutches, and framed art pieces, which are then sold worldwide through its e-commerce site and partner boutiques.

Product overview

Inaash is a traditional Palestinian hand embroidery organization offering hand-crafted products through a unified e-commerce platform. The product portfolio centers on tatreez (traditional Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery) applied to clothing and home goods. Core offerings include: Najaf Abayas and Silk Abayas (luxury embroidered outerwear); Dresses, Shawls, and Silk Thobes (traditional garments); Home Decor items (Cushions, Trays, Coasters, Baskets, Mats); Accessories (Clutches, Bags, Bag Straps, Eyewear Covers); and Art Pieces (framed thobes and embroidered maps). The company releases seasonal collections including SS26 (To Ramallah) and FW26 (Yusra), and collaborates with designers on capsule collections. Supplementary offerings include Gift Cards and Loungewear. Products are hand-embroidered by Palestinian women artisans in Lebanese refugee camps using traditional motifs representing different Palestinian regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Najaf Abayas Iconic abayas made from hand-woven Najaf wool, embellished with traditional Palestinian tatreez embroidery. Available in long or short sleeves, with some beaded versions. Priced $800-$1,150.
• Silk Abayas Luxury collector's pieces made from high-end silk with fine artisanal Palestinian embroidery work.
• Shawls Wool shawls, iconic Najaf shawls hand-woven from Najaf wool, and silk shawls featuring traditional Palestinian embroidery. From $550.
• Dresses Hand-embroidered Palestinian dresses including Panel Dresses, Balloon Dresses, Satin Kaftans, Linen Dresses, and Thobe-style dresses featuring traditional motifs. Priced $165-$580.
• Silk Thobes Luxury hand-sewn silk garments with intricate Palestinian embroidery motifs crafted with high-quality DMC threads, representing four months of painstaking handwork.
• Home Decor (Cushions, Trays, Coasters, Baskets, Mats) Hand-embroidered home items including cushions, decorative trays with plexiglass frames, coasters, baskets, and mats featuring Palestinian flora-inspired patterns. Priced $11-$320.
• Accessories (Clutches, Handbags, Bag Straps, Eyewear Covers) Embroidered accessory pieces including clutches, handbags and pouches, bag straps, and eyewear covers featuring traditional Palestinian city motifs. Priced $30-$320.
• Art Pieces Framed embroidery art including full embroidered maps of Palestine and framed thobes representing different Palestinian regions. Priced $180-$410.
• Loungewear Comfortable loungewear sets featuring traditional Palestinian tahriri embroidery, including tracksuits and lounge sets. Priced $190-$210.
• SS26 Collection (To Ramallah) Summer 2026 collection inspired by Ramallah, featuring contemporary interpretations of Palestinian tatreez through silhouette, embroidery, and handcraft.
• FW26 Collection (Yusra) Fall/Winter 2026 collection named after the Arabic word for comfort and gentleness, featuring tatreez embroidery with contemporary elegance.
• Orient499 X Inaash Collaboration Collection Collaboration collection featuring Zari silk abayas and Yafa linen sets, combining high-end silk with intricate Palestinian embroidery.
• Joumana X Sima X Inaash Capsule Collection Collaboration capsule featuring cushions reimagined through vintage fabrics, combining Sima Ghandour's heritage connection with Joumana Ghandour's artistic vision.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in denominations of $50, $100, $200, and $400 for gifting purposes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 9,000 women refugees impacted since 1969 through training, income, and early education for children
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Mona HatoumflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Twelve Windows project - developed with world-renowned Palestinian installation artist Mona Hatoum. Presents a visual map of Palestine through 12 exquisite embroidered panels, each representing a key region through motifs, stitches and patterns. Exhibited in major museums including Tate Modern (London), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
• Forward Film ProductionsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint production of award-winning documentary film Stitching Palestine, directed by Carol Mansour. Film explores traditional Palestinian embroidery through narrative of twelve Palestinian women leaders. Won best documentary awards in Boston and Delhi.
• Samia HalabycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegendary Palestinian artist collaboration creating embroidered panel masterpiece with Palestinian refugee women Najat Bachir and Fatima Moussa from Burj el Chemali camp in Tyre, Lebanon. Panel features vibrant DMC floss colors bridging traditional embroidery and contemporary art.
• Nada DebscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLebanese designer collaboration on Cushionania collection. Created 'Spectrum of Light' and 'Where Land meets the Sea' cushion collections. Fuses Far Eastern aesthetic with Middle Eastern appreciation for fine decorative craftsmanship through East & East concept.
• May DaoukminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLebanese interior designer collaboration combining beautiful fabrics (soft linen, cashmere) with traditional Palestinian motifs in harmonious colors for contemporary home decor.
• Jason SteelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFashion Design program founder at Lebanese American University. Collaboration on Cushionania collection exploring meaning of exile and refugee experience through design inspired by old tiles, redundant technology, and DNA helix.
• Omar Joseph Nasser-Khoury (Omarvis)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPalestinian fashion designer from Jerusalem/Birzeit. Working with Inaash since 2009, his first collection jacket was acquired by British Museum in London in 2011. Created Magick Forest collection for Cushionania exploring metaphysical and talismanic aspects of traditional embroidery motifs.
• Creative Space Beirut (CSB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship label of Creative Space Beirut Social Enterprise. Dynamic design collaboration between students, alumni, teachers and affiliates. Produces wearables, accessories and functional surfaces with sustainable local manufacturing.
• Dina KamalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative force behind DK01 design practice. Collaboration on 'Filastine' cushion collection combining purity of Bauhaus with minimalist calligraphy in stunning complementary and contrasting colors.
• Joumana GhandourcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect and designer with 35+ years of practice. Graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard University. Personal collaboration continuing her mother Sima Ghandour's work with Inaash since its earliest years. Creates pieces rooted in Palestinian embroidery traditions adapted for contemporary use.
• Orient499coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Zari Silk Abayas collection featuring red and blue long sleeve designs. Special line combining high-end silk with intricate Palestinian embroidery.
• Malak Al Husseini AbdulrahimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearcher who spent over 40 years dedicated to research and design for the Twelve Windows project, creating comprehensive visual documentation of Palestinian embroidery motifs across all regions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Little Market: Fair-trade retailer selling handcrafted goods from artisans worldwide, including embroidered textiles and apparel. Comparable as a mission-driven, ethically-sourced handcraft retail platform.
• Zaytoun: Palestinian social enterprise supporting farmer and producer cooperatives with branded consumer products. Comparable as a diaspora-driven Palestinian artisan/food brand reaching global conscious-consumer markets through specialty retail.
• NOVICA (acquired by National Geographic): Large-scale online fair-trade marketplace selling handcrafted apparel, textiles, and home decor from global artisans. Comparable as a DTC e-commerce channel for premium hand-embroidered goods, though broader in scope than Inaash.
• Ten Thousand Villages: Established fair-trade social enterprise retailing handcrafts from artisans across the Global South through stores and wholesale. Comparable in mission (artisan empowerment), retail channel model, and product categories.

Direct peers

• Heritage Collection Palestine: Palestinian heritage social enterprise producing tatreez-embroidered apparel and home textiles, with an explicit refugee-empowerment mission. Direct comparable in technique, social-enterprise structure, and product assortment.
• Maram Designs: Palestinian brand producing handcrafted tatreez-embroidered clothing and accessories. Closely comparable in product mix, artisan-based production model, and heritage storytelling.
• Darzah: Palestinian-owned e-commerce brand selling hand-embroidered tatreez apparel, shoes, and home decor made by refugee women artisans. Most directly comparable competitor in product, technique (tatreez), customer base, and DTC-first go-to-market model.
• ChildAyoun: Palestinian social enterprise producing handcrafted tatreez-embroidered accessories, apparel, and home goods made by women artisans. Comparable as a heritage-embroidery social-enterprise brand targeting conscious consumers.
• BINT: Palestinian heritage brand specializing in hand-embroidered thobes, abayas, and accessories using traditional tatreez techniques. Comparable in product category, customer base, and cultural-preservation positioning.

Regional players

• Sitti Social Enterprise: Jordan-based social enterprise supporting refugee women artisans with handmade products including home textiles and accessories. Comparable in artisan-empowerment mission and product mix, though anchored in Jordanian rather than Palestinian refugee context.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@InaashAssociation
• Facebookfacebook.com/inaashassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inaash
• Instagraminstagram.com/inaashassociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about INAASH WORLD FOUNDATION