Meet Vanessa Dahbour

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vanessa Dahbour a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Vanessa, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Resilience is in my blood. My father is Palestinian and my mother is Indigenous American. My family didn’t have the choices or opportunities most of the world takes for granted. We are resilient because there is no other way.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

In 2022 I launched the social justice apparel brand For Your Viewing Pleasure (FYVP) with my partner Lara Salmon. Our mission is to use apparel as a platform to advocate for Palestinian liberation, refugee rights, LGBTQ+ equality and women around the world. We use sales to raise funds for humanitarian assistance organizations as well as activist groups. FYVP is about implementing resistance into every day and making a statement with what we wear.

I design most of our items, as well as art direct the brand. Having spent the majority of my career creating for corporate labels, it’s really fulfilling to work for myself in support of what’s in my heart. We’ve had the joy of collaborating with women like Jenan Matari and Alana Hadid, and raising funds for organizations such as HEAL Palestine, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, American Near East Refugee Aid, The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association, and most recently National Students for Justice in Palestine.

Another important aspect of FYVP is creating spaces for communal joy and resilience, which we do through organizing souks, or Middle Eastern marketplaces. I didn’t get to grow up with my Arab culture, and so finding it now and meeting others in the diaspora is deeply important to me. This month we are also working with other small businesses in Los Angeles to create new types of events:

May 17th: Support the Students fundraiser at SUAY Sew Shop
June 17th: an evening for Queer Arab women + allies at The Ruby Fruit

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

As a young designer at a private fashion school, I quickly realized that student loans were going to burn a hole in my pocket for years to come and decided to drop out of formal education and learn on the job. I supported myself designing for Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Forever 21 as well as a lot of freelance for 15 years. While I never loved creating for huge companies, learning to design for mass America helped me understand what people want to wear. I think there is a lot to be said for connecting with your market. After all, you’re creating for them. My advice is to ask people what makes them feel proud and empowered, and take their answers to heart.

I also recommend diving in and learning from your mistakes. We often grow more from our flops than our successes.

And the last bit of advice I have, which I am still working on, is to take care of yourself. It’s easy to burn out (I do every couple of weeks). Don’t forget that you’re in this for the long run and the movement needs you.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

Hands down my partner Lara. We met in 2020, and she is my rock. She has spent a lot of time in the Middle East, studying Arabic, working with refugees, and attending artist residencies. Lara was one of the first people in my life to really encourage and support me in connecting with my Palestinian roots.

She is also the co-founder of FYVP and its only other employee. Being a two-woman business means we work around the clock: from orchestrating posts in bed, to long days at the studio, and often falling asleep into our computer screens. Together we put everything into running FYVP, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! There’s another piece of advice: grow something with the person you love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.foryourviewingpleasure.co
• Instagram: @foryourviewingpleasure

Image Credits

Danikha Nunez
Khairan Majid
Evan Lane
Spencer Heaphy