About Tareq Zeiad Abulebbeh
TM Design Lab was founded by Tareq Zeiad Abulebbeh—an apparel designer, master embroiderer, audio engineer, and music producer based in San Diego, California. Originally with family roots in Yaffa, Palestine, Tareq’s worldview and commitment to cultural preservation are deeply personal: his grandparents survived the 1948 Nakba, instilling a lifelong responsibility to keep Palestinian history, dignity, and memory alive.
Before building the studio, Tareq competed as a Division 1 college football athlete and earned his degree in Public Health. The rigorous physical discipline of elite athletics, combined with a public health background rooted in community care and ethical systems, shapes how he builds every piece in the lab today.
Tareq wrote and produced the album Occupied Palestine from start to finish—authoring every lyric, tracking vocal nuance through the iconic Neumann U 87 Ai, executing every mixing and mastering parameter, and distributing the record directly alongside the physical collection.
In parallel, every single garment in the Culture Is Resistance line is designed by him, digitized by him, and personally embroidered by him on commercial multi-needle hardware. From hooping and stitching individual garments to hand-sewing each woven neck label and managing custom client projects, Tareq directly authors every step from initial concept to final dispatch.
“Our heritage survived displacement in 1948, and keeping that memory alive requires real care and intention. When someone wears one of our garments or listens to our music, they are holding living history. I touch every piece in this studio because our story deserves nothing less than complete integrity.”
How the 100-Unit Cap Works
Every collection we release operates under a strict, non-negotiable 100 total unit cap across the entire drop. This is not 100 units per style—it is 100 total sales combined across the collection.
Crafting Living History Through Garments, Sound & Stitch
Operating as an independent, family-rooted design studio and audio workshop in San Diego, TM Design Lab functions across three synchronized creative arms:
Heavyweight Cultural Apparel
Our signature apparel line celebrating Palestinian identity, memory, and endurance. Each piece is crafted from dense, ultra-heavyweight cotton fleece, embellished with genuine woven kuffiya textiles, and finished with precision embroidery right here in San Diego.
Music & Audio Production
The sonic world behind our physical garments. Projects like Occupied Palestine blend investigative journalism, hip-hop, and history. Recorded with high-end studio microphones and analog warmth, each release includes full audio playback and in-depth production essays.
Custom Embroidery & Digitizing
Our public-facing custom studio. We help local families, small businesses, schools, and creators turn their logos, drawings, and ideas into durable, professional embroidery on hoodies, hats, jackets, and canvas bags.
Education, History & Living Memory
Behind every garment and track is deep historical context. Our Culture Is Resistance Journal serves as an open documentary archive exploring the stories behind our collections—from the genealogy of regional tatreez embroidery and press freedom records to economic divestment and sonic histories.
Explore the Journal Dispatches →Heirloom Quality You Can Feel
We construct our clothing to be worn and passed down, not thrown away after one season. Here is what goes into our garments:
Why We Produce On Demand
To prevent excess warehouse inventory and reduce textile waste, we do not mass-produce thousands of garments to sit in landfills. When you place an order, your specific piece is prepared and finished individually just for you.
Inquiries & Studio Orders: contact@tmdesignlab.co