In November 2023, the clothing company, Wear the Peace, located in Chicago, unveiled a unique range of items under the special signature Freedom Melon label. Fast forward to the present, this compassionate organization has successfully gifted more than a whopping $1 million in charity, aiming to aid the impoverished and marginalized people living in Gaza.
The unprecedented level of donations was made possible through the sale of tens of thousands of their units. The operations propelled by the company provided much-needed food, water, and critical medical help in the region. “We opt to channel our funds towards donations, rather than ad expenditures,” revealed Murad Nofal, the co-founder of Wear the Peace.
The Freedom Melon isn’t just a catchy title. It belongs to a watermelon-influenced design formulated by Wear the Peace. The design showcases a watermelon segment and earned recognition as a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians, echoing the colors found on their national flag. The design, immediately following its launch, started to garner increased interest and achieved widespread popularity mere months after its unveiling. “The Freedom Melon achieved quite some fame in the press”, Nofal confessed.
A very memorable milestone was when renowned celebrity Jennifer Garner’s daughter wore their product, drawing significant attention towards it. Nofal, in consort with his business partner Mustafa Mabruk, both of Palestinian-American descent, embarked on the, at times harrowing, journey of initiating the clothing enterprise in November 2016. Their brand chiefly focuses on the amplification and drawing attention to several refugee crises peppering the globe. Notable missions taken up by the company include addressing shortages of clothing and food, provision of clean water, and sending girls to schools in war-ridden regions.
To date, the impacts and outreach of Wear the Peace have successfully extended to Jordan, Kenya, Venezuela, Yemen among others. However, Wear the Peace is most renowned for their extensive donations to Gaza, estimated to be around $1,163,670, deriving from their Freedom Melon collection.
Utilizing the “buy one, give one” program, Wear the Peace has been able to extend its benevolence further by donating a new piece of clothing for each item sold. Part of the profits made from each Freedom Melon product—including T-shirts, crewnecks, hoodies, pins, tote bags, hats, and jewelry—is specifically diverted to offering medical aid, food, water, and assistance with evacuations in Gaza. Donating to an array of both secular and religious non-profit organizations, the company continues to put its financial might where its heart is.
Painstaking efforts, coupled with untethered compassion, have proven fruitful for Wear the Peace. Within a span of four-and-a-half months since the collection’s inception, it registered sales of 19,000 crewnecks, 13,800 hoodies, and 12,900 T-shirts, each adorned with the Freedom Melon logo. This incredible boom in sales alone facilitated over $500,000 in donations. “We’re elated we made this move to stay true to ourselves, more so, being Palestinian”, shared a clearly emotional Nofal.
Our success doesn’t lie only in our numbers, though. The founders’ own personal connection to the Palestinian refugee crisis galvanized their desire to act. Their families were among those displaced during the infamous 1948 Arab-Israeli War, inspiring them to find ways to provide relief to other refugees in similar positions.
Albeit there were challenges to keep up with the overwhelming demand and a decrease in customers initially when launching the Freedom Melon collection, the experience has overall been rewarding. With continued hard work and unwavering determination, Wear the Peace continues to blend business with a higher calling, offering fashionable products that carry a world-changing purpose.
