AMERICAN YouTuber Rachel Griffin-Accurso, widely known as Ms Rachel, turned heads at the Glamour Women of the Year 2025 Awards after appearing in a dress embroidered with artwork created by children from Gaza.
Many of the drawings featured the colors of the Palestinian flag, red, black, white and green, or the flag itself. Others featured watermelons, a symbol of pro-Palestinian activism, doves or olive branches.
In an Instagram post, Ms Rachel said the dress featured art from several young artists.
“I’m so proud to share art from amazing children in Gaza. We did it!
"You are all so amazing and everyone loved hearing about you, seeing your pictures, and hearing your stories! The dress is upcycled and donations were made to all the children from me,” she wrote.
Her post, uploaded after the awards ceremony, has received over 573,000 likes and 11,700 comments, with many praising her for the meaningful gesture.
Followers expressed their admiration in the comments section.
User @calireelaina wrote, “You are just incredible, friend. I'm so proud of you,” while @samahsafi added, “This is the most special dress ever, you are truly beautiful.”
Another follower, @ballpit_addict, commented, “Good to know my son has been looking up to the right person for the past few years. Free Palestine.”
During her speech at the ceremony, Ms Rachel said the children behind the artwork had deeply inspired her.
“Tonight, I am wearing this beautiful dress that has art from kids in Gaza. These kids are just amazing, so thoughtful and so brilliant.
I know all their names and stories — Luna, Ahmed, Rama, Rana. I’m so proud of you. I’m so honoured to wear your artwork,” she said.
Ms Rachel also shared the story of Rana, one of the young artists, who lost both of her sisters in airstrikes.
“Rana made this beautiful drawing. She lost both of her sisters in the genocide, her nine-month-old sister in her arms during an air strike, and her older sister the following month,” Ms Rachel said.
“Rana wanted to tell the world that her sisters are not numbers. They are moons, they are stars, they shine and sparkle.”
In an earlier interview with Glamour magazine, Ms Rachel spoke about her broader message of compassion for children worldwide.
“My love and care for children doesn’t stop at my own children or those in my country. It embraces every child in the world.
“Children should have human rights and children do have human rights. To me, that grown-ups are failing children and not following those guidelines, it’s so upsetting."
In May, Ms Rachel also shared a video on Instagram singing and dancing with a young girl named Rahaf from Gaza.
The long-time advocate for children has been vocal in her support for those affected by conflict, often facing criticism from pro-Israeli supporters.
Her presence at the Glamour Awards and her statement through fashion have been widely interpreted as a continuation of her message of global empathy and child advocacy.