One of the most exciting things about fashion as an industry is its innate ability to connect people across borders. In the past few years, fashion designers from hubs beyond New York, London, Milan and Paris have not only found their stride—they have also rightfully begun to make waves on an international platform.
Amongst up-and-coming ports like South Korea and Vietnam is Tel Aviv, Israel, most commonly known for its bustling nightlife. As of late, however, it is a serious contender in fashion and even more so with the rebranding of its fashion week, now known as Kornit Fashion Week. As its name suggests, it is presented in conjunction with Israeli-American manufacturing company, Kornit Digital, which specialises in various facets of the industry, from pigmented inks to textile decoration.
While the fashion week earlier this year showcased a host of talents, Israeli labels Adi Karni, Genish and Yanky & Nataf stood out for various reasons. Eponymous label Adi Karni, for one, focuses on combining womenswear with art and presents hand-crafted designs with 3D-printed pieces. Aharon Genish reinterprets his childhood with fresh eyes, melding the worlds of tradition and innovation. And Yanky & Nataf brings together activewear, streetwear and eveningwear. Here, the designers take Vogue Singapore through their brand journeys as well as what we can expect from them next.
Adi Karni
Tell us about your fashion label.
I focus on combining my passion for women’s fashion and art with a desire to bring about change in the fashion industry and a desire to integrate the most advanced technological innovations in the 3D printing industry that will eventually lead to a sustainable brand. The ultimate vision is to use only natural fabrics. This way, I can do my part to start to replace the polluting plastic and unsustainable parts of fashion.
What piqued your interest in fashion design?
Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a fashion designer. My grandmother was a seamstress and my grandfather was a well-known tailor in Jerusalem. Seeing that no one from my family wanted to continue their profession, I decided I wanted to be the one to take up the mantle.
What kind of garments can one find at your label?
My designs range from tailored women’s suits to flowing dresses. I find inspiration in all walks of life but draw particular inspiration from different periods of my life. I focus on making one-of-a-kind pieces as well as inspiring and meaningful collections. Throughout all of my collections, you will find the combination of hand-crafted designs and 3D printed items that I created and printed myself, such as buttons and bags that you would normally find made from plastic.
Who or what are some of your inspirations?
My inspirations come from strong women. Specifically from the Art Nouveau period as well as the colours, the softness, and what it symbolised in that time period. However, my grandmother was my biggest inspiration. The clothes that she wore, the culture she came from and the handmade items she created inspired me everyday.
Where do you see your label in 10 years?
I see myself continuing with my endless curiosity. It’s what drives me to new discoveries and to not give up on my passion for fashion and desire to make a difference. I believe that our role as designers is to serve as intermediaries between usability, technology, material, and culture. The world needs to open its doors to new responsible, sustainable and high-tech proposals.
What’s next?
I will be releasing my new collection and also to take my work to the digital world with NFTs. Also,I truly believe that we are already on the precipice of a revolution in fashion with the Metaverse and everything Web3 helping to transform the industry.
Genish
Tell us about your fashion label.
I am very influenced by the closed worlds of my childhood, from the yeshiva, the Torah to the sages of the Midrash. In the creative design process, I take these traditional old worlds into a new and innovative space where I give them my personal interpretation. The inspiration for the collections combines the old and the new, the past of my childhood with the combination of a new retrospective. My works embody the fascinating connection between the two ends of my life, the one I broke free from and the one I live in now.
What piqued your interest in fashion design?
I looked for my way in Orthodox life and found my way to new and exciting districts of freedom, art and creativity.
What kind of garments can one find at your label?
A rich range of high-end fashion items as well as ready-to-wear pieces. The garments beautifully manifest softness, lightness, and fragility combined with strength and power. There is a gender fluidity that comes across through oversized shapes as well as tailored suits and dresses which give new proportions to the body. Classic men’s clothing becomes women’s clothes and vice versa.
Who or what are some of your inspirations?
As someone who draws inspiration from ultra-Orthodox religious passages, I take traditional Jewish conservative elements from all over the world and absorb them into pieces. In this way, traditional conservative historical clothing turns into something new. This transformation gives my collections poetic and romantic features while at the same time respecting its historical and traditional values.
Where do you see your label in 10 years?
Creating a customer base that’s worldwide. I am longing for high fashion that is done out of importance and strictness while preserving its environment and important values.
Yanky & Nataf
Tell us about your fashion label.
Our brand was born in 2018, after the we graduated from Shenkar College. We presented our first full collection at Kornit Fashion Week Tel Aviv 2022. Our shared passion for fashion and the design language of each of us drained into one language. Our pieces are characterised by graphics, games of proportions, bold colours, and various techniques such as draping, 3D modelling and advanced printing.
What kind of garments can one find at your label?
Our clothes are characterised by energy, boldness, and femininity. Our designs are a hybrid between activewear, streetwear and eveningwear. In the collection you can find comfortable knit dresses that adapt to the body or dresses with Swarovski stones and prints.
Who or what are some of your inspirations?
Our inspirations are taken from the past, the future and from everything we are experiencing and feeling in the present. We take memorable moments from the past that inspire us and we transform them to the relevance of the present and to what they would be in the future. We are also aware of the changes that are happening across the globe and we channel them to patterns, details, silhouettes, fabrics, producing on demand, fabric utilisation and more.
Who do you imagine wearing your pieces?
We love to see any woman in our designs celebrating life and feel unique. What makes us happy is seeing a crowd of people wearing black and grey with a hint of colour.
Tell us about some of your biggest challenges.
Our biggest challenges are to keep up with the fast pace of the fashion industry and remain calm through it all. In a business like ours the private life and the work life mix together and it’s challenging to find the perfect balance.
Where do you see your label in 10 years?
In 10 years we see our brand becoming known across the world, from the real world to the virtual world.
Photographer Diana Gomez
