fashion – Jewish Independent

Playfulness and style

Ralph Lauren in 1978. (photo by Edgar de Evia)

Born 79 years ago, in New York, to Frieda and Frank Lifshitz, immigrants from Belarus, Ralph Lifshitz, better known as Ralph Lauren, has become a universal household name.

The youngest of four siblings clothed in hand-me-downs, the fashion legend never imagined becoming a designer – he did, however, yearn to be the next Joe di Maggio or Cary Grant. His favourite pastimes were sports, listening to the radio, watching TV and movies. And it is from these influences that his dream to design clothing came.

At 16, Lifshitz switched to the name Lauren after experiencing years of ridicule. At the same time, he embraced and embellished his own sense of style, buying oversized and rugged clothing from the army surplus store because he liked how they made him feel, and had an aspect of originality. His preference for military-style clothing predated his draft to the American army, in which he served two years. It was in the army that his respect for the uniform further developed and he incorporated the style into many of his subsequent designs.

In the years that followed, Lauren began working by day for a buying company while studying at night. It was during this period that he had the idea of making ties from scraps, and making and selling his unconventional ties turned into a profitable side business.

While working for men’s fashion house Brooks Brothers, Lauren tried to get them to sell his ties, but to no avail. Moving on to work for tie manufacturer Beau Brummell, an upscale men’s brand, Lauren’s potential started to be realized, as he acquired a “drawer” in their showroom of the Empire State Building to sell his flamboyant ties. In 1967, Lauren started the label Polo, the name reflecting his love of sports, and his creations’ international and sophisticated vibe. Lauren sewed on each label, together with his new bride, Ricky. He also made all the deliveries himself, to the likes of Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales. During the first year, Polo made $500,000. The young Jewish boy from the Bronx’s design career was on its way.

By 1968, Lauren was making his own suits, which were, once again, offbeat; not what his colleagues were wearing. Lauren believes that fashion is all about playfulness, expressing one’s individuality and not conforming to one look. He has held this belief through his many years in the industry, and it has no doubt provided the foundation of what he has built into a multibillion-dollar empire.

photo - Maartje Verhoef walking the Ralph Lauren spring-summer 2015 fashion show — Maartje Verhoef walking the Ralph Lauren spring-summer 2015 fashion show. *(photo by Christopher Macsurak)*

Lauren’s classic innovations include making women feel that wearing a tuxedo was sexier than a gown; turning tailored men’s shirts unisex; and transforming American folk art (patchwork) into fashionable sweaters, coats and dresses, borrowing from cowboys’ attire the rich colour of turquoise, fringed jackets and boots.

Lauren’s talents did not end at the design table. He used the platform of advertising unconventionally, working with real people, not models, in ads that covered multiple pages to tell a story through his clothing’s many different looks and fabrics. This creative approach was developed in part with photographer Bruce Weber.

Lauren has outfitted Wimbledon players, won the Coty Award for both women and men’s wear, opened the first freestanding store in Europe by an American designer, and established a home collection. Other highlights include being the costume designer for Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in the Oscar-winning movie Annie Hall, and creating a men’s and women’s fragrance in 1978 that is still emblematic. Upon receiving a lifetime achievement award in 1992, presented to him by actor Audrey Hepburn, he said, “I don’t design clothes, I design dreams.”

Ricky, Lauren’s wife of more than five decades, is one of his muses. Her elegant and natural style has been a continuous inspiration for him and it is her sense of self that he tried to emulate in his clothing designs. Together, the couple built the Ralph Lauren brand not only as a fashion domain but as a family business, operated with their two sons and daughter.

In addition to his material and creative successes are Lauren’s contributions to philanthropic causes. Among them, Lauren and cancer surgeon Dr. Harold P. Freeman founded the Ralph Lauren Centre for Cancer Care in Harlem, N.Y., in 2000, with the resources of the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre. The residence, care and support facility’s mission is “to fight health disparities in the community … [and] become a beacon for quality, dignity and accessibility in cancer care.”

Ariella Stein is a mother, wife and fashion maven. A Vancouverite, she has lived in both Turkey and Israel for the past 25 years.

Shoes with celebrity appeal

Stuart Weitzman built up his father’s business into an empire. (photo by Phillip Pessar)

There are so many styles of women’s shoes, including the stiletto, platform, wedge, kitten, sling backs, peep toe, mule or sneakers. Unlike our favourite outfits, the fit of our shoes doesn’t change much in relation to our waistlines. A great pair of shoes can boost our confidence and turn a “shlumpy” outfit into something eye-catching. Marilyn Monroe declared, “Give a girl the right pair of shoes and she can conquer the world.”

Renowned designer Stuart Weitzman was born into a shoe business family. But, while his father had started a shoe company in Massachusetts in the 1950s, Weitzman’s goal was a career on Wall Street and he went to and graduated from the Wharton School. However, after his father died, he started to make the transition from talented hobbyist sketcher to acclaimed shoemaker. His strong work ethic coupled with an eye for style created the prevailing Weitzman empire. His designs flew off the shelves of upscale stores and filled pages of top fashion magazines.

photo - Stuart Weitzman — Stuart Weitzman *(publicity photo)*

In 1971, Weitzman partnered with a Spanish shoe factory, Caressa. In 1986, Weitzman bought all the shares from his Spanish partners and became independent. Success over the years led to Weitzman’s ownership of nine factories throughout Spain, which granted him the ability to keep his upscale shoe brand at a price 30% to 50% lower than that of his contemporaries. At his peak, Weitzman owned 120 private boutiques and sold globally in department stores.

Fifty years in the business has attracted a large following of shoe enthusiasts to Weitzman’s creations, including celebrities like Beyoncé, Kim Cattrall, Jennifer Aniston and Taylor Swift. In 2002, Weitzman fashioned a pair of million dollar shoes, almost literally dripping in diamonds, worn by actress Laura Harring to the Academy Awards. He also designed the most popular nude sandal worn among celebrities, which has become a classic and essential for many women.

Weitzman sold his company to Coach for an estimated $574 million in 2015. At the age of 76, he remains the creative director. It is now Weitzman’s wish to find a successor, as his two grown children, Rachel and Elizabeth, have chosen different routes.

Weitzman and his wife, Jane Gershon, worked together to build the business. Together, they also became philanthropists, donating to many causes, but also establishing the foundation Pencils of Promise, which focuses on opening schools in Ghana, Laos and Guatemala.

Weitzman and Gershon are passionate about their Jewish roots and work to ensure the future of Jewish communities and Jewish heritage. Consequently, a substantial amount of their contributions and time commitments revolve around Jewish institutes and causes around the world.

Weitzman, an avid ping-pong player, participated in the Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2009 and 2013. Also in 2013, he made a donation of $1 million to Maccabi USA. “My participation in the Maccabiah Games was one of the greatest experiences of my life!” he has said.

A man used to working 16-hour days in a creative environment doesn’t seem set on a quiet retirement. The list of projects he has planned is long. A top priority is constructing a Jewish museum in Madrid dedicated to Spanish Jewry. On the horizon is producing a Broadway musical with Sir Trevor Nunn about the life of Andy Warhol.

Just in case the wedding superstition is true, let us do as the bride is advised – whatever our footwear, let us remember to exit with our right foot first to ensure a lucky day.

Some shoe facts

40,000 years ago, it seems, people began wearing shoes
the first women’s boot was made for Queen Victoria in 1840
sneakers were first made in America in 1916
heels were added to shoes in the Middle East to lift the shoe from the burning sand
Marie Antoinette had 500 pairs of shoes
the only shoe museum in North America is the Bata Shoe Museum, in Toronto
gold and silver coins placed inside a bride’s wedding shoe is an old Swedish custom
Chinese brides throw one of their red bridal shoes to the roof of their house to ensure the couple’s happiness
Altocalciphilia is the name for having a high heel fetish

Ariella Stein is a fashion writer based in Israel.

Going beyond clothing

Donna Karan’s Urban Zen includes pieces to be worn year-round. But the project is grander than a fashion line – it is a broader approach to life that she hopes will speak to many people. (photo from fashionmodeldirectory.com)

With the sun finally out for days running, spring has truly sprung. We can now satisfy the urge to take out our colours from the back of our closets. That bright pink silk blouse in its garment bag is once more seeing the light. Whatever the current look may be, nothing compares to feeling at home in our classics; those pieces that are, at least to us, forever “in.”

In 1985, Donna Karan introduced to the world of fashion the “Essential Line.” In her first private collection, there were seven simple pieces that continue to be timeless. These include the oversize sweater, a bodysuit, jersey dresses, Lycra tights (no longer just for exercise class), a white shirt, loose trousers and a tailored jacket. Over the years, she would incorporate new pieces, in her go-to favourite colour, black.

Karan, born Donna Ivy Faske, in 1948 in New York, was raised by a fashion-model mother and suit-designer stepfather – she was practically destined to have a lifelong career in fashion. The many awards she has received are but one proof of her talent for it.

At the age of 14, Karan quit school and embarked into that world, working in a boutique. At 20, she was accepted into the renowned Parsons School of Design. After graduating, she became, at 26 years old, head designer of the Anne Klein fashion house.

In 1984, Karan divorced her first husband, Mark Karan, and married Stephen Weiss. With full force, she began her own label. The line was geared to “design modern clothes for modern people.” She wanted to create clothing that she herself would wear and in which she would feel comfortable.

After dressing the likes of her best friend, Barbra Streisand, many A-list Hollywood stars and high-powered women in politics, Karan launched a new brand in 1988, DKNY, a line of less-expensive clothing. Seventeen years later, her business expanded into a men’s fashion line, fragrances, bedding. She also wrote a memoir, The Journey of a Woman: 20 Years of Donna Karan, among other accomplishments.

Karan’s Urban Zen came to fruition in 2001. While watching her beloved husband lose his battle to lung cancer and experiencing the sale of her empire to the multinational LVMH (where she stayed on as head designer until 2015), Karan learned that everyone must “find their calm in the chaos around the world.”

Urban Zen includes pieces to be worn year-round. But the project is grander than a fashion line – it is a broader approach to life that she hopes speaks to many people.

Karan believes it is fundamental to blend Eastern healing together with Western science. While watching her husband undergo chemotherapy, Karan found mediation, yoga, acupuncture and other holistic remedies essential for healing, and for acquiring some sense of inner peace. She built a harmonious sanctuary in the hospital where her husband was being treated, Beth Israel Medical Centre in New York. The sanctuary is a place for patients, loved ones and staff to go to recover from broken spirits and find solace. Its philosophy and practices have helped ease suffering to such a degree that, now, many hospitals and hospices have adopted its methods. The concepts are taught to doctors and nurses through Karan’s foundation, UZIT, Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Program.

On a personal level, this fashionista-writer, who has always loved and appreciated the fun of fashion, also experienced an “aha” moment while researching this article. Being a cancer survivor and having overcome some unwanted surprises life has thrown my way, this spring, I am determined to embrace perfecting my downward dog as much as finding my new bag – devoting time to practising gratitude and investing in my most important asset, me. My tranquility and health are more important than any blouse.

Ariella Stein is a mother, wife and fashion maven. A Vancouverite, she has lived in both Turkey and Israel for the past 25 years.

The wrap dress began it all

Diane von Furstenberg was born Diane Simone Michelle Halfin in Brussels, Belgium. (PR photo)

Character. Intelligence. Strength. Style. That makes beauty.” These timeless words of wisdom were expressed by the iconic Diane von Furstenberg.

Born Diane Simone Michelle Halfin in Brussels, Belgium, 18 months after the liberation of Auschwitz – where her mother, Lily Nahmias, was among those interned – von Furstenberg was taught from a young age, “Fear is not an option.” Following this motto has helped her become a legendary designer, with a business that was worth some $300 million in mid-2017, according to Forbes.

image - Diane von Furstenberg made the cover of Newsweek, among other publications, in 1976 — Diane von Furstenberg made the cover of Newsweek, among other publications, in 1976.

Von Furstenberg married Austro-Italian Prince Egon von Furstenberg in 1969. Soon thereafter, in 1972, she introduced her blueprint classic wrap dress. She made the cover of Newsweek, among other publications, in 1976, after selling five million dresses worldwide. Today, the quintessential wrap dress is on display at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as von Furstenberg has been a major contributor to women’s fashion.

It was crucial, on a personal level, for von Furstenberg to be financially independent. She never wanted to rely on a husband or anyone else to pay her bills. Divorcing in 1972, she was determined, as a single mother of two, to make her dreams come true. A degree in economics helped her land a job as an apprentice in a textile house, which was where she learned the art of fabrics.

Von Furstenberg’s passion for prints began when she received the gift of a Pucci-designed outfit from a lover. And the idea of the silk, jersey wrap dress came to her when she saw Julie Nixon Eisenhower on television donning a wrap top with a skirt.

The wrap dress was considered both ageless and timeless: worn by women of varying cultures and sizes, from working women to the more wealthy. The wrap dress became a symbol of independence and power for a generation of women.

During this time, while ascending in her career, von Furstenberg lived a vibrant life. She had relationships with both men and women, she dressed the famous and traveled the world. She found love again with her present husband, Barry Diller. Though she had to relinquish the title of princess, she was still deemed royalty in the fashion business.

And her empire extended through the years to other domains. She wrote several books, including the memoir The Woman I Wanted to Be. She started a collaboration with the Gap, designed rooms and suites for Claridge’s hotel in London and starred in her own reality show, House of DVF.

Life was not without its challenges. She has battled cancer and, at one point, almost lost her business, but von Furstenberg prevailed.

The importance of her Jewish heritage became publicly apparent in the 1980s. It was then that she began her longtime commitment to preserving the memory of the Holocaust, and she became a prominent fundraiser for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Von Furstenberg is a philanthropist, giving back through various initiatives. For her, the empowerment of women has always been at the forefront – “Every woman can be the woman she wants to be!”

Ariella Stein is a mother, wife and fashion maven. A Vancouverite, she has lived in both Turkey and Israel for the past 25 years.

Bride-to-be Markle’s got style

Prince Harry with Meghan Markle wearing Tuxe’s Boss bodysuit. (photo from Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock via Israel21c)

Since announcing her engagement to Prince Harry last November, all eyes have been on Meghan Markle’s style. Coats, shoes, dresses and other fashion items worn by the bride-to-be have sold out in minutes. It’s no surprise that after she wore a bodysuit by Israeli designer Tuxe for an evening out with her betrothed, the style is now backordered until May.

The couple, set to marry in May, went to London’s Goldsmiths’ Hall for the Endeavour Fund Awards, which recognize injured servicemen and women. Known for her dressed-down-meets-royal style, the former actress layered Tuxe’s silk Boss bodysuit underneath a tailored black Alexander McQueen suit. On her feet, she wore Manolo Blahnik pumps.

“We’ve been royally approved!” the brand posted on Instagram after Markle was photographed wearing the bodysuit. “We absolutely love Meghan for all she has done for women’s rights and are honoured to be worn by someone who encapsulates what we stand for as a brand. She uses her spotlight to be an inspiration and she definitely is to us!”

Tuxe founder Tamar Daniel was born in Jerusalem, raised in London and is a graduate of Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan. She founded her Philadelphia-based bodywear line in 2015, focusing on transforming the bodysuit, once a 1990s staple, into a chic, modern garment.

Her collection includes a range of bodysuits and has become particularly popular with professionals and religious communities, Daniel told Vogue in an interview. Prices range from about $80 for a simple sleeveless bodysuit to $463 for a cashmere turtleneck version.

Tuxe may not be the first Israeli designer that Markle has had her eye on. In December, news broke that Israeli designer Inbal Dror had been approached by the royal family to provide a sketch of a potential dress for Markle’s upcoming wedding to Prince Harry.

* * *

photo - Selections from the 2017 Inbal Dror catalogue. The Royal family is rumoured to have approached Dror for a sketch of a potential wedding dress for Meghan Markle — Selections from the 2017 Inbal Dror catalogue. The Royal family is rumoured to have approached Dror for a sketch of a potential wedding dress for Meghan Markle. *(photo from Inbal Dror via Israel21c)*

On Dec. 18, 2017, Israel21c posted the story, “Is Meghan Markle going Israeli for her wedding dress?”:

It’s rumour, it’s conjecture, and it’s probably an awful lot of wishful thinking, too, but that’s not stopping Israelis from getting excited at the thought that Meghan Markle may choose an Israeli wedding designer for her dress on the big day.

All the kerfuffle began when news broke that Israeli designer Inbal Dror had been approached by the Royal family to provide a sketch of a potential dress for Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry in May.

Dror, who began making wedding dresses in 2014, favours sensual red-carpet glamour, with plunging necklines and figure-hugging hand-woven dresses. It’s quite a step away from traditional royal wedding gowns that usually err on the side of caution.

This isn’t the first time that Dror has been approached by celebrities for designer dresses. In 2016, pop diva Beyoncé wore a sheer high-necked white lace Inbal Dror bridal gown to the Grammy Awards.

“Beyoncé casually wore a wedding dress to the Grammys,” read the headline of Elle magazine afterwards, adding as a sub-head: “The queen can do as she pleases.”

“It was an amazing moment to see one of my favourite stars wearing one of my designs,” Dror told Brides after seeing Beyoncé in her dress. “I can’t even begin to explain the feeling. I am so excited for what is yet to come!”

Dror, a graduate of Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, sells her dresses for between £6,000 and £9,000 (about $10,500 to $16,000 Cdn) at the Morgan-Davies Bridal boutique in London – with fittings by appointment only. All of her outfits are individually made, and are based on 30 different measurements.

In an interview with Bridal magazine in 2015, Dror said, “A wedding is such a significant event in a woman’s life, and it’s how she feels wearing the dress that emphasizes her features, [which] can make her feel like the queen of the night.”

Israel21c is a nonprofit educational foundation with a mission to focus media and public attention on the 21st-century Israel that exists beyond the conflict. For more, or to donate, visit israel21c.org.

A shift to inclusion in Israel

The 2017 Select Fashion and Totto bags’ Back to School ad campaign, in collaboration with Beyachad, featured Israeli children of varying abilities. (photo by Nechama Orah Photography)

In 2010, Gabrielle Markowitz set up a Facebook account in the name of her then-newborn daughter, Hallel. Called Hallel Mini Supermodel, the page is part of Markowitz’s goal to change the public perception of people with disabilities. And she has made some progress.

Hallel has Down syndrome. Set to start Grade 1 this September, she was chosen, along with several other Israeli children of varying abilities, to model the 2017 summer collection in Select Fashion and Totto bags’ Back to School ad campaign. The shoot was in collaboration with the Israeli organization Beyachad, which works to increase and strengthen society’s inclusion of people with disabilities.

Beyachad was started by Channie Plotnick, a New Yorker who has been concerned with this issue since she was 9 years old.

“I was living in New York,” said Plotnick, who now lives in Israel. “Not far from the home where I was growing up, there was a home for adults with disabilities. I was going to school every day and doing my thing. I’d pass by the home and I could see the people with disabilities through the windows. I could see them just sitting around and pretty much doing nothing – being locked in that home for many, many hours, just sitting around.

“I saw this a couple times a day, every day. I felt that these people are jailed in this place. I figured, I have to figure out a way to get them out of this. One day, I asked my mom if I could invite them for Shabbat morning. My mom said to give them my phone number and see. So, one Friday, they actually called and said they wanted to come over for Shabbat morning.

“I can remember myself sitting at home at the window and looking out that morning, and waiting anxiously for them to come. It was sort of a big group. I think there were eight adults with two staff accompanying them.

“We had a wonderful Shabbat meal. We played games and they became part of the family. For me, it was like a victory to see them out of jail and … part of a community, of our family.”

Plotnick has high expectations of herself as well as of others. Where some see disability, she sees ability.

As an adult, Plotnick made aliyah. She attended Tel Aviv University and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in special education. From then on, it was no longer enough for Plotnick to be able to see ability in all people. It was now about figuring out how to care for these abilities and shape them toward everyday integration into society.

photo - An image from the Select Fashion and Totto bags’ Back to School ad campaign — An image from the Select Fashion and Totto bags’ Back to School ad campaign. *(photo by Nechama Orah Photography)*

“When I came to Israel, I was working as a supervisor in a special ed school,” she told the Independent. “I saw children who I thought could learn in regular schools, with help and support. I started looking around for schools and support, and I realized there were no services for children who wanted to be integrated in regular schools.”

So, in 2008, Plotnick started up Beyachad Foundation, to aid in the empowerment and inclusion of people with special needs.

“When someone wants to be in a regular school, we help them with resources, information, advocacy and case management, connecting them to the right people, figuring out how to get them resources from different departments,” said Plotnick.

The Knesset calls Plotnick when they are considering disability inclusion-related laws.

“In Israel, there’s a lot of welfare state taking care of people with disabilities,” explained Plotnick. “I call it a ‘stifling hug,’ as they’re taking care of the needy. But, it’s a situation where they are … making it so they are dependent, as opposed to helping special needs people be independent and able to contribute to society.”

According to Plotnick, the welfare system disperses benefits according to labels – it puts people into a box labeled “Down syndrome” or “autism.” These labels carry with them a set of expectations, and the people become the label.

“Today, when a social worker gets a person in front of him/her who has Down syndrome, she/he looks at his/her lists and says, ‘OK, we have schools with special education that focus on children with Down syndrome. And, when they are adults, we have what’s called workshops. This is what we have.’ You’re not looking at individuals and their abilities. You’re looking at a person with Down syndrome. You’re not even looking at the person. On the flip side, when you complement abilities, you look at individuals. That change of looking at a person and saying, ‘You’re an individual. Let’s see what your abilities are and let’s see what you can do with your abilities.’ That’s the change we are trying to make.”

Beyachad does not want to compete with, or put out of business, special ed schools or workshops. Its aim is to offer more options.

“It’s a lot easier for us, as society, to adapt to the needs of the less-abled than it is for the less-abled to adapt to our society,” said Plotnick. “As such, we have a duty to adapt to their needs.

“I’ll give you an example. If today we go out onto the street and all of the signs are in Braille, you and I would be the ones who are disabled, as we won’t be able to read them. Society has the ability to change people into disabled – and society has the ability to create people who are more able.

“As long as we adapt things in society for people with disabilities, they will end up being less disabled. If I come to a regular school and I’m a person with disabilities and the curriculum is adapted for me and school accessibility is adapted for me, I will be less disabled.”

Change will come slowly, but Beyachad has the motto ‘If it is to be, it’s up to me,’ and they work to provide the support individuals need to make accessibility possible. For more information or to lend support, visit beyachad.org.il.

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

High-tech, fashionable art

Fashion designer Noa Raviv (photo by Ryan Duffin)

Avant-garde fashion designer Noa Raviv says her award-winning fashions were triggered by her interest in the power of mistakes.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1987, Raviv is currently developing her couture brand in New York City, after achieving global industry recognition for her Hard Copy garments combining hand-sewn, 3D-printed polymer synthetic tulle with laser-cut appliqués.

“Hard Copy was a really long process that came out of my thinking about the concept of originals and copies in our era,” she told Israel21c. “When I started working with 3D software and printing, I was intrigued by the mistakes I made. If you input a command that can’t be executed, you get unexpected results. It was kind of magical to me. I was fascinated by mistakes created by a perfect machine and started exploring how it could be my answer to designing something original – because a mistake is something you can’t replicate.”

Hard Copy features ribbed polymer shapes printed out on a Stratasys Objet Connex multi-material machine and stitched to voluminous pleated tulle, silk and organza.

Named Fashion Designer of the Year 2014 at the 3D Printshow in London, Raviv has exhibited in Carrousel du Louvre, Paris; Old Billingsgate, London; New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, among other venues.

In November 2015, Raviv gave a keynote talk on The Power of Mistakes, at Futurescan 3, a conference organized by FTC (Association of Degree Courses in Fashion and Textile) at Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. She spoke on the same topic at the Museum of Design in Atlanta, Ga.

Raviv was one of four innovative Israeli women honoured at the 10th annual Israel Day at the New York Stock Exchange, Nov. 10, 2016.

Raviv, who appeared on Forbes Israel’s 2016 “30 Under 30” list, said she is “fascinated by the tension between harmony and chaos, tradition and innovation,” and wants to continue experimenting with technology.

Her current collection, Off-Line, was released in spring/summer 2016.

photo - Noa Raviv’s Off-Line collection was released in spring/summer 2016 — Noa Raviv’s Off-Line collection was released in spring/summer 2016. *(photo by Ryan Duffin)*

Though it’s not 3D-printed, Off-Line combines elements of complex handwork and machine work, beginning with graphic design software and topped off with Swarovski crystals.

Raviv’s collaboration with Swarovski involves sending design files to Austria, where the company custom-makes molds from which millions of tiny crystals are applied onto a flexible transparent material and sent back to New York for finishing.

“Once every crystal is in the right place, they’re applied by heat to organza,” said Raviv, acknowledging that the more complicated pieces take a few weeks to complete.

“Hard Copy explored computers and digital errors. Off-Line explores the more intimate side of the creation process,” she said.

Most of the pieces in Off-Line are ready to wear and others can be made to order. Prices start at $1,800 US.

“My collections are not meant for the masses,” she admitted. “I’m still establishing my clientele – women who appreciate art, fashion and quality and care a lot about uniqueness.”

Neither is 3D fashion for the masses. In fact, Raviv doesn’t believe it will be available on the retail level anytime soon.

“Maybe in the very far future,” she said. “Fashion is far too complex to make in one machine, technique or material. There are so many nuances and the technology isn’t there yet to create what people want to wear. For now, it’s a romantic idea.”

A 3D dress made by another Israeli designer, Danit Peleg, was worn in a dance performance by U.S. snowboarder Amy Purdy at the opening ceremony of the recent Paralympics in Rio.

An intuitive choice

Always captivated by art and fashion, Raviv wavered between art school and fashion school after two years of army service and another 12-plus months pursuing other interests, including learning to speak Spanish – a very practical skill, as she is married to an Argentine-born startup entrepreneur.

“At the last minute, I intuitively went for fashion,” she said.

Raviv graduated in 2014 from Israel’s Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. Hard Copy was her senior project. Her designs also were included in 2013’s Here Comes the Bride exhibition, which opened at Beit Hatfutsot-Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv and traveled to other countries.

Raviv moved to the New York City borough of Queens a little more than a year ago and is getting used to the more formal work culture in the United States.

“Israel is very small and the fashion scene is small, and it’s hard to manufacture in Israel,” she explained. “It’s important for me to be very close to the development and production of my designs.”

For more information, visit noaraviv.com.

Scribe 2015/16 launch

(photos by Cynthia Ramsay)

On May 15, the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia launched the latest issue of its annual journal, The Scribe. This year’s edition follows the history of Jewish clothiers in the province, so the museum kicked things off with a fashion show curated by local fashion historian, Ivan Sayers, featuring clothing from the 1940s through to the 1970s. Some of the pieces exhibited were made or sold by clothiers included in the journal, which can be purchased for $20 from [email protected] or 604-257-5199. To see more of the fashion show photos, click here.

A designer for real living

Berlin-based photographer David Meskhi took shots of ordinary people wearing Maya Bash clothing. (photo from israel21c.org)

When fashion designer Maya Bash began renovating a grimy auto-parts store in Tel Aviv’s Gan Hahashmal (Electric Garden) district eight years ago, she could not have known that the crime-plagued neighborhood would become “the second sexiest neighborhood on earth,” according to Thrillist, and a go-to destination for international fashionistas.

Drawn by the low rents, she and other avant-garde young designers banded together as Collective 6940, brainstorming funky and fresh events to help turn the quarter into the place it is today. As they meet success in Israel and abroad, many of these designers are moving elsewhere. Bash, however, is content to keep her shop and studio on Barzilay Street, about a mile south of where she lives.

photo - Fashion designer Maya Bash — Fashion designer Maya Bash. *(photo from israel21c.org)*

The 35-year-old designer has made a modest name for herself among buyers at Paris Fashion Week. As a result, her minimalist, deconstructed garments are sold in about 10 boutiques in Japan, Italy, Russia, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States in addition to Israel. Last year, she launched an e-commerce site to make her collections available to anyone with a credit card. That decision came from her head rather than her heart.

“I’m not an online person,” Bash said with a ready smile. “I like to go and touch things. I’m very old-fashioned. I buy music CDs and magazines even though I could read them online. But you have to challenge yourself when you own your own business, and I’ve had the shop and studio for eight years. I really don’t want another shop because I see how much energy it takes.”

That’s a lesson she learned through experience. A few years ago, two German women entered her store and announced they wanted to open an Israeli designer shop in Berlin. Bash and several other designers in Gan Hahashmal were chosen to realize this dream.

“After six months, they came to me and said, ‘Most of the clothes we’re selling are yours, so let’s turn it into a brand shop.’ It was really good. We went to Berlin and reconstructed the shop and it was open for a year,” said Bash.

“But then I gave birth to my daughter and it was very hard to manage my shop here, let alone the one in Berlin. It was a great experience but it was too much, so we closed it.” Many of her loyal clients from Berlin have become online customers.

Person becomes design

Bash agreed to meet with me during the afternoon hours she spends in her store before fetching her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter from school. She wears a dark-grey oversize T-shirt silk-screened with the drawing of a child.

“Tel Aviv is a small city, and I often see people wearing my designs. I wanted to capture some of these characters,” she explained.

Bash asked visual artist Zoya Cherkassky to create stylized, whimsical sketches based on a dozen of the people she had seen wearing her clothing. The sketches were then hand-printed onto fabric and made into garments for women and kids. “I love the nature of this cycle; a person buys my clothes and then becomes the next design,” said Bash.

Bash also collaborated recently with photographer David Meskhi to create a photographic project in Berlin featuring “interesting people,” rather than professional models, wearing her designs. And, with director Max Lomberg, she produced the short film Wardrobe, “a metaphorical representation of my thoughts about fashion design.”

Freedom to play

The Maya Bash children’s line, still new and limited, gives its creator much satisfaction.

photo - Maya Bash’s recently launched kids collection — Maya Bash’s recently launched kids collection. *(photo by Irina Kaydalina via israel21c.org)*

“On small clothes, the detail stands out much more,” she said. “Designing for children is such a special pleasure. I have the freedom to play and exaggerate everything.”

But, she stays far from glam and glitter. The mostly unisex clothing Bash designs is basic above all.

“My style is simple, minimalistic and deconstructed. I work from the body’s anatomical lines. I really work in an old-school way, on paper. I’m not a trendy designer,” she said.

The most expensive item in Bash’s current collection is a NIS 4,300 (just over $1,350 Cdn) leather jacket with a hand-knit lining peeking out underneath. Leggings cost NIS 290 ($91), T-shirts NIS 370 ($116) and trousers NIS 590 ($186). Many of her creations have sold out.

Trained at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Bash favors natural or organic fabrics such as cotton, alpaca and linen imported from Japan, but is not averse to incorporating viscose, polyester and nylon where she deems it appropriate, especially for outerwear.

Additional components are on her drawing board. “I want to continue on to shoes and accessories,” Bash said. “You cannot just stay in a comfortable zone doing what you know how to do.”

She tries to balance her desire for growth with her insistence on remaining a small, made-in-Israel business. Most of the production is done in a factory near Rehovot, and samples are sewn in her Tel Aviv studio, where her mother does some of the hand knitting.

For more information, visit eu.mayabash.com.

Israel21C is a nonprofit educational foundation with a mission to focus media and public attention on the 21st-century Israel that exists beyond the conflict. For more, or to donate, visit israel21c.org.