California Apparel News

Organizers include Beverly Hills Fashion Week co-founder.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL—Tel Aviv may not be the most likely place to host a fashion week, but the inaugural edition of Tel Aviv Fashion Week is bound to turn some fashionable heads to the Middle East. The event—the first in more than 30 years—didn’t disappoint.

Those in attendance—including international press from England, Russia, Mexico, Italy and the United States—found a vibrant fashion community with established and emerging designers rich in culture and talent. A splashy runway show by Roberto Cavalli fecirc;ted the inaugural edition. The Italian designer showed his support for the Israeli fashion community and presented his Spring 2012 collection on the event’s opening night to an overwhelming reception. Organized by Ofir Lev, general manager of the Israel Textile and Fashion Association, and Motty Reif, producer of the Beverly Hills Fashion Festival, the event presented a diverse cross section of the country’s design talent. Gideon and Karen Oberson, Sasson Kedem, Yaniv Persy, Yosef Peretz, Alembika, Netanel Zikri, Dorin Frankfurt, Dorit Bar Or, Mira Zwillinger, and Alon Livne of “Project Runway Israel” were just a few of the country’s premier designers who showed their Spring collections on the runway. In addition, a student show by the renowned Shenkar College of Engineering and Design and an “Upcoming Designer” group show debuted some of the country’s promising new stars. While much of the world may not be familiar with many of the designers who showed on the runway in Tel Aviv, Israeli designers and brands have made their mark in the fashion world for years. Yigal Azroueuml;l, Elie Tahari, Gottex, Threeasfour’s Adi Gil and, most notably, Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz are just a few Israeli designers who have achieved international fame. Lev and Reif said they were inspired to create Tel Aviv Fashion Week to not only share Israel’s design talent with the world but also to be a liaison of sorts to help change the perception of the country. “I believe that fashion week will contribute to Israel and show the world that Israel is not just bombs and wars and Mediterranean stories. It [has] normal life—very creative, very warm and very happy—and there is business as well,” Lev explained. “There are a lot of talented people here that don’t get a chance to go [out] to the world, and business is global. I believe that we [can] give them the opportunity. We are the platform [for] Israel to be looked at differently and for designers to start to work with many, many countries. It’s just the beginning,” he said. The runways showed a glimpse of the country’s offerings—from casual to couture. Designs were modern and suited to the sunny Mediterranean climate yet paid homage to Israeli culture and handcrafts as well as influences of the Middle East. Gideon Oberson, former creative director for Gottex, created a special couture collection for the debut of his self-named line on the Tel Aviv runway. Created in collaboration with his daughter, Karen, the collection was stunning with strong architectural cuts and clean modern lines in a strong black-and-white palette. Actress and style icon Dorit Bar Or was inspired by her homeland to create her collection of chic black ensembles adorned with handcrafted details and gold religious embroidery. “My inspiration is really important because everything is from the Middle East. I’m from the Middle East; this is where I grew up. I’m inspired from everything I saw and everywhere I live,” she said. Alembika took a lighthearted approach, transforming traditional silhouettes into modern-day looks utilizing simple everyday materials such as T-shirt fabrics, menswear shirtings and simple knits in unusual combinations. Ishtar, which debuted at the Capsule trade show in New York last season, was born from a love for the Mediterranean, its colors and people, and handcrafts. Contemporary silhouettes were based on traditional gowns of the region yet had a feminine, globally chic look. For the new garde of designers such as Israel Ohayon, who attended the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, futuristic architectural silhouettes and fabrications showed innovation. The designer, who won a design contest in the Upcoming Designer show, is just one example of the talent being turned out by the college. With notable alumni such as Lanvin’s Elbaz, the school’s graduates are scouted by designers such as Diane von Furstenberg, Roberto Cavalli and Donna Karan. Building behind the scenesWhile the runway only showed a portion of the city’s designers, the general excitement and success of this event is certain to generate a larger platform next season. Lev and Reif have big plans, including taking designers overseas to facilitate sales. Lev, a former model and event producer, is an established force in the Israeli and international business communities and has been responsible for bringing brands such as G-Star and Gap to Israel. Reif is a partner in Abot Reif Hameiri, an event and media production company, and co-founder of the Beverly Hills Fashion Festival. He previously helped bring a multi-Israeli designer show to Los Angeles in conjunction with Downtown L.A. Fashion Week. According to Lev, the fashion-week platform is the initial step to building awareness for Israeli designers. The next step is to help export brands from Israel to other countries. He plans to take a group of fashion-week designers to trade shows and events in different countries, such as England, the United States and Italy. “Instead of them going as individuals to shows or to fairs around the world, we are going to create a local fair, mostly for buyers, in those countries, and it will just complete the circle of what we are creating now with Tel Aviv Fashion Week,” he said. Eye on Milan and L.A.Some designers only sell their clothing in Israel, but many others distribute their collections internationally. Israeli labels are suited to many climates, including Los Angeles, because of similar weather. “Some of the designers that we brought [to L.A. previously] like Sasson Kedem and Alembika started to [sell] in California since the last show [at Downtown L.A. Fashion Week],” Reif said. Although the runway event is geared for expansion, designers face challenges preparing logistically for production, international distribution and finding a niche in the marketplace. “We have to be very, very unique because with European style, [there are] so many top designers worldwide,” Lev said. “They have to think really about what collection they really want to sell and what’s going to work and what’s not going to work. I believe that we can create a boutique design style with very small pieces that [will] start to sell in major multi-brand shops of designers around the world,” he said. As its first international initiative, Lev has signed a partnership agreement with Mario Boselli, president of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, the organizer of Milan Fashion Week (Milano Moda Donna), and plan to collaborate to publish a joint calendar with harmonized fashion-week dates. In addition, the Board of CNMI will evaluate the participation of Israeli fashion designers in the NUDe Project at Milano Moda Donna, and Italian designers will also have the opportunity to present a collective fashion show at future editions of Tel Aviv Fashion Week. According to Reif, plans also include collaborations with the Los Angeles design community and the Beverly Hills Fashion Festival, which is slated again for next spring. For the next edition of Tel Aviv Fashion Week, plans call for a larger designer platform and international buyers to be in attendance. “The goal [this season] was the press, the PR for Israel, but the second thing is bringing buyers from L.A. to Israel,” Reif said. “I know that a lot of buyers from Israel are coming to the L.A. Market. I want to do the opposite. I want to bring the buyers from [L.A.] to the next fashion week.”Lev added that the coverage of Tel Aviv Fashion Week will help pave the way to do business. “Nobody knew until two days ago that there is a fashion scene in Israel,” he said during the event. Images from the runway may be found here.