Threading Dreams into Reality: How Hoda Revives a Fading Craft Through EbreWKhait

January 15, 2026

Threading Dreams into Reality

In her small Hamra workshop, Hoda Salhani stitches together years of experience, family tradition, and a fading Lebanese craft through her brand, EbreWKhait.

Small, women-led businesses like Hoda’s play a vital role in safeguarding Lebanese heritage. At a time when traditional crafts are fading, these artisans keep ancestral skills alive while providing meaningful income for their communities.

Through EbreWKhait, Hoda is not only designing clothing, she is keeping a part of Lebanon’s identity alive. Each piece she creates carries the stories, patterns, and craftsmanship that root us to our cultural past while giving it new life for the future.

Hoda learned sewing from her mother, who was a seamstress. Growing up surrounded by fabric, thread, and creativity, sewing became second nature. “It was such a warm atmosphere,” she says. “We all grew up with the sound of sewing in the background.”

Person in a white hijab uses a large sewing machine to sew blue fabric in a bright studio.

After working 24 years as an employee, Hoda opened her own shop, starting with ready-made clothing. “But I realized I was more drawn to artisanal pieces,” she says. “That’s when I discovered a real passion for craftsmanship.”

Since 2010, Hoda has honed her craft, blending haute couture with tradition and a modern twist.. “Sometimes I take a traditional outfit and combine it with jeans,” she laughs. “You don’t plan for it, you just create, mixing innovation and tradition.”

But keeping such craftsmanship alive has not been easy. “This kind of handmade work is becoming rare,” Hoda says.

A Turning Point Through UNDP’s Women’s Economic Empowerment Project

Hoda’s journey took a transformative turn when she received support through the Women’s Economic Empowerment through Advancing Women-Led Enterprises in Lebanon (WEE) project, implemented by UNDP and UNIDO with generous funding by the Government of Canada. Through the project, she received a grant to upgrade her production facility, buy new machines, and participate in specialized technical training to expand her business.

“The support came right when I needed it most,” Hoda explained.

Thanks to the grant, Hoda expanded her production space and repaired her old machines. “The machines are like new now,” she says, smiling. “Before, they barely worked. Now everything runs smoothly, and I can think creatively again. The space really feels like ours.”

The WEE project , she says, changed not just her business but her outlook.

Through EbreWKhait, Hoda is doing more than creating beautiful clothes, she’s preserving a fading art form, empowering others, and proving that with the right support, tradition can be reimagined for the future.