Israeli fashion

Israeli model Tami Ben Ami modelling a Gottex swimsuit

Israeli fashion refers to fashion design and modeling in Israel.

Israel has become an international center of fashion and design.[1] Tel Aviv has been called the “next hot destination” for fashion.[2] Israeli designers, such as swimwear company Gottex, show their collections at leading fashion shows, including New York’s Bryant Park fashion show.[3] In 2011, Tel Aviv hosted its first Fashion Week since the 1980s, with Italian designer Roberto Cavalli as a guest of honor.[4]

History

The ATA textile factory was founded in Kfar Ata in 1934 by Erich Moller, a Jewish industrialist from Czechoslovakia. ATA specialized in work clothes and uniforms, reflecting the Zionist and socialist ideology of the time.[5] Factory production spanned every aspect of garment-making, from thread manufacture to sewing and packaging.[6] The name of the factory was invented by Hebrew novelist S.Y. Agnon. ATA is an acronym for the Hebrew words "Arigei Totzeret Artzeinu" - "fabrics manufactured in our land."[7]In the 1960s, Israeli fashion designer Lola Beer Ebner designed a line of fashionable dresses in bright colors for ATA at the request of Moller's widow.[8]

In the early years of the state, Ruth Dayan, wife of Moshe Dayan, founded Maskit, a fashion and decorative arts house that helped to create jobs for new immigrants while preserving the Jewish ethnic crafts of various communities living in Israel.[9] In 1955, Dayan met fashion designer Finy Leitersdorf, who designed clothes and accessories for Maskit for 15 years. The two collaborated on a joint exhibit of Maskit designs at the Dizengoff Museum (today the Tel Aviv Museum).[9] Maskit produced textiles, clothing, objets d’art and jewelry.[10]

In 1956, Lea Gottlieb founded Gottex, a high-fashion beachwear and swimwear company that became a leading exporter of designer bathing suits.[11]

The attendance of Israeli Fashion weeks is growing and the event has been supported and attended by such people as Ms. Sheila Pierce Ortona of Italian Vogue and Stephanie, Princess de Sarachaga.

Israeli fashion has been worn by some of the world's most famous women, among them Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Sarah Jessica Parker.[12]

See also



References

  1. ↑ What’s New in Tel Aviv, by David Kaufman, March 2008.
  2. ↑ Promoting Israel in a Downturn, David Saranga, 17 December 2008
  3. ↑ Fashion Week: Gottex, 9 September 2008.
  4. ↑ Merle Ginsberg (2011-11-21). "Roberto Cavalli Shows Spring 2012 Collection at First Ever Tel Aviv Fashion Week". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  5. ↑ ["Ata: Factory, Fashion Dream]".
  6. ↑ ["Fashion and Politics – ATA Exhibition at the Eretz Israel Museum ]".
  7. ↑ The history of Israel, best told in khaki and sandals, Haaretz
  8. ↑ Prêt-à-pioneer, Jerusalem Post
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Shachar Atwan (19 August 11). "A Leitersdorf showcase". Haaretz. Retrieved 3 April 2012. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ↑ Breathing new life into legendary Israeli fashion brand Maskit, Haaretz
  11. ↑ Andrea Heiman (April 23, 1993). "Good Gottex! Women Seeking Bold, Slimming Swimwear Make Israeli Company No. 1 in America". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  12. ↑ ["From rags to riches: Israeli fashion rediscovered]". ON PINS AND NEEDLES.

External links