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Qaher Harhash

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Qaher Harhash
Born1998 (age 25–26)
East Jerusalem
Years active2015–present
Modeling information
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Agency
  • Iconic Management (Berlin)
  • IMG Models (London/Paris/Milan)
  • Nest Model Management (Berlin)
  • Roberto Models Agency (Tel Aviv)
  • Traffic Models (Barcelona)

Qaher Harhash (born 1998) is a Palestinian model and actor based in Berlin.

Early life

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Harhash is from Wadi Joz, East Jerusalem. He was 7 when his parents, a garage manager and stay-at-home mother, divorced. Shortly after, the IDF raided the family house and arrested his uncle during Ramadan. In response, his mother enrolled Harhash in therapy and programmes such as Seeds of Peace and the YMCA International Choir to help him process the event, which he attributes his values to. Harhash attended the Jerusalem American School in Beit Hanina.[1]

Career

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With a sister who watched fashion shows growing up,[2] Harhash was interested in modeling from a young age as inspired by Tyson Beckford in particular. He was 14 when he started to consider it more seriously.[3] At 16, Harhash began applying to modeling agencies in Tel Aviv, but was repeatedly told the industry was not ready for a Palestinian male model and that being Palestinian would be a problem. After several rejections, he was finally accepted by Roberto Models Agency. Despite the obstacles, Roberto Ben Shoshan said he knew Harhash "would be famous the moment I met him. He gave me a ton of hope."[1] Harhash's first major shoot was with Noam Frost for Rina Zin's 2016 winter catalogue.[4] He subsequently began meeting with agencies in Milan and received "warm" responses.[1] He walked his first runway for Renuar and had his first editorial in Xnet.[5]

At the suggestion of and with support from his sister, Harhash moved to Germany in 2017 for study where he signed with the Berlin-based Iconic Management in 2018[6] and later Nest Model Management. Harhash said "People here were so fast to accept me" as a Palestinian and that it was nice to "not be afraid that I'll be asked for my ID".[2][7] Harhash had gigs with brands such as Dolce & Gabbana,[8] Hugo Boss, Diesel, Men's Uno Hong Kong, Holzweiler and Lacoste, and appeared in the likes of Vogue Germany and Ukraine, GQ Italia and Middle East, VMan, and Avant-Garde.[9]

In 2021, Harhash, Bella Hadid, and Omar Sesay debuted Jean Paul Gaultier's first ready-to-wear collection in six years titled Les Marins.[10] Also that year, Harhash posted an Instagram story highlighting the lack of access to water Palestinians have in East Jerusalem compared to Israeli settlers. This prompted Zara's head designer Vanessa Perilman to send Harhash racist messages. After the messages were made public, Zara faced backlash and calls for a boycott and to fire Perilman.[11][12]

The following year, Harhash starred in YSL's holiday campaign. He and Amira Al Zuhair fronted Prada's 2023 Ramadan campaign.[13][14] Harhash made his acting debut in as Bahlul opposite John Early in Theda Hammel's film Stress Positions, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Atwan, Shachar (8 December 2015). "In the Footsteps of Gigi Hadid: Meet the First Palestinian Male Model". Haaretz. Retrieved 6 March 2024.(subscription required)
  2. ^ a b Hanna, Bo (7 December 2017). "Qaher Harhash: Het eerste Palestijnse mannelijke model". Vice NL (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  3. ^ Regev, Dana (9 December 2015). "Palestinian model cuts loose". Deutsche Welle (DW). Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  4. ^ Douek, Samuel (5 February 2018). "Redefining: On Nationality and Changing Beauty Standards". Into Magazine. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  5. ^ Yaakov (8 May 2016). "הדוגמן הפלסטיני הראשון: "במזרח ירושלים יראו בי פרובוקציה"". Xnet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  6. ^ Maiwald, Carmen (14 February 2021). "Pride and Prejudice: Follow Qaher from East Jerusalem to Berlin". Achtung. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Meet the First Palestinian Male Model". Mille. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  8. ^ Dincer, Ethan (12 August 2022). "Rule-Breaking Model Qaher Harhash Reflects On Representation & The Fashion Industry". JDeed. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Qaher Harhash - Model Profile". Models. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Bella Hadid, Palestinian Male Model Qaher Harhash Star In New Jean Paul Gaultier Campaign". Harper's Bazaar Arabia. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Zara's Head of Design Attacks Palestinian Model, Qaher Harhash, in Islamophobic Rant". El-Shai. 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
  12. ^ Guy, Jack (16 June 2021). "Zara under fire after top designer sends Palestinian model inflammatory messages". CNN. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  13. ^ Vuckovic, Maja (24 April 2023). "Qaher Harhash Is The Star of MMSCENE May 2023 Cover Story". Male Model Scene. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  14. ^ Mekkaoui, Meeran (17 March 2023). "Prada Celebrates Ramadan 2023 With Exclusive Collection". GQ Middle East. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  15. ^ Zilko, Christian; Blauvelt, Christian (20 January 2024). "Watch the 'Stress Positions' Cast Discuss Finding the 'Metaphoric Potential' That Turned COVID Into Comedy". IndieWire. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
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