• Fashion
• News

Cut-out canceled: Shenkar, WIZO and Bezalel present final collections in the shadow of the Corona

Unlike in previous years, the country’s reputed fashion institutions have refrained from picking up glittering shows or mass productions. Instead, dozens of male and female students presented their final project by virtual means, far from the spotlight or the audience

• Shenkar
• WIZO
• Bezalel

Muriel Maximov

In the coming weeks, the fashion shows of Shenkar, WIZO and Bezalel graduates were supposed to take place, but due to the corona constraints, they were canceled or are expected to take place in a very limited format, unlike previous years. Thus, behind the scenes, make-up artists, hair stylists and models Institutions and students themselves rely on virtual platforms and less on the spotlight and audience.These works, which must have begun to form and crystallize in the pre-epidemic period, accompanied by questions of their own, have over time gathered further interpretations and other concerns about the present, but also a somewhat unclear future.

Like any field, the fashion industry has suffered a severe blow with the advent of the virus. Israeli businesses and brands lost money and laid off workers, and huge brands from abroad began to close their stores. Understandably, there is a nesting concern among young fashion designers, who are also under pressure and expectation of originality and uniqueness. However, despite restrictions, difficulties, social distance and zoom rates, dozens have succeeded. Male and female students produce complete, accurate and excellent collections no less than those created in the days as their repair.

More on Walla! NEWS

Simple and upgraded: How do you make a ponytail that will set you up for the whole day?

To the full article

Shenkar

At Shenkar, 43 students are expected to complete a four-year academic journey this year. According to the institution, the last school year has caught the graduates busy with many questions that reflect their moods, in light of the tremendous changes in the world in general and in the fashion world in particular. Students were given five general themes to choose from, into which they poured their collections and design vision.

The first, I AM HUMAN AFTER ALL, is about creating a new outline for the human body by using surprising elements, as it moves between the natural and artificial worlds, while examining the impact of technology on human relationships. The second, I AM HOME, focuses on collections that draw inspiration from the physical, cultural and root space in which students live, through a local and modern perspective. The third, I AM NOT TRASH, resonates in a design that responds to social and economic events, discusses the issue of environmental pollution, and raises questions about the need to consume fast fashion.

The fourth, I AM OTHER, deals with design individuality, one that is not committed to gender group affiliation and content and clear social division and raises questions about the ideal of beauty today. The fifth and final, I AM JOURNY, presents collections that are a mix between childhood and adulthood, cultural heroes and influencers - when it all starts with picturesque visual inspiration.

Among the many Shenkar graduates this year, Anne Dahan stood out with her final collection "Safe Place" (SAFE ZONE). Dahan describes the collection as part of her search for a safe place in space, which led her to her home, to her room, to her bed. "My house, my bed, my pajamas - all of these give me a dreamy and surreal atmosphere, a sense of belonging, a hug, warmth and love." Dahan drew inspiration for her pieces from an Iranian fiber coach named Miriam Ashkenazi, who weaves faces and positions of old people on white and cream pillows. According to her, their sleeping poses reflect unique experiences they have had during their lives, through which one can learn about their nature.

The main fabrics she used for the three dresses in the collection are cotton, silk, satin and fabric, which are used, among other things, to make duvets, lingerie and pajamas. From this, its pieces are comfortable to wear and pleasant to the touch, and examine the relationship between what Dahan defines as the "contrast between the vulnerable and the protective": the vulnerable - transparent fabrics, the protective - thick and enveloping fabrics.

WIZO

Against the background of the eruption of the corona, the veteran institution from Haifa thought of a sufficient alternative in which it would be able to display the works of the 19 male and female students, and for the first time would present the student works in a virtual exhibition through a unique video production. The display will include digital presentations, alongside physical objects, using technologies and multiple screens and media.

According to Meirav Lavie, head of the fashion design department, the Corona made them "understand the need for authentic learning, which embraces changes in the spirit of the period, and adapt their studies to work in the changing reality and dynamic environment."

In the graduation collections, the graduates faced breaking conventions in the world of fashion, textiles and traditional technologies that are accepted in the industry so far. They developed new cuts, patterns, silhouettes and materials that were incorporated into the collections. During the year they developed various printing, knitting and weaving techniques and combined textile work with three-dimensional design.

Student collection Fall Autumn , called "Immature," focused on the extreme transition between two worlds: the childish and the feminine. Worlds of naivety and innocence versus the world of a married woman.

The inspiration, she says, came from her grandmother Tuti, her father's mother. "She immigrated to Eretz Israel from Persia at the time, and together with my grandfather she started a family of eight. At the age of 12, she was forced to leave her parents' home, as well as her entire familiar world, for the sake of an adult marriage." According to her, "Leaving my grandmother's childhood world raises in me fundamental questions about her ways of dealing with a fate set for her."

The collection, which includes a long sarong and two long coats, used puffy cuts and covers with distinctly Islamic silhouettes, combining childish elements such as floral and evening and evening prints. Its colors are striking but quiet and made of cotton, jacquard, quilt and lace.

Bezalel

In the past year, students have worked on topics that concern them and express their point of view and their inner world. Some chose as a starting point their dreams, feelings, memories, imaginations and their family or ethnic tradition, and some chose to get out of the material, from the traditional craft and work technologies to design their collection.

The institution sees itself as a partner in the digital production revolution, and incorporates the innovative tools and methodologies into the traditional endeavor - to create the new force. In addition, it is important to maintain harmony between all areas of the departments, including jewelry, accessories and fashion, and an emphasis on understanding the body environment technically, materially and conceptually.

Jonathan Shlomo Fischer is marked as a prominent student in the Jerusalem department. He was the only Israeli student to be considered as a candidate in the International Fashion of Fashion Foundation's international fashion competition, alongside other promising fashion designers from South Korea, the United States, Italy and China. As of this writing, Fisher is still on the waiting list for the contest, but there is no doubt that this is a respectable and impressive achievement.

The title of his final project is "We do not weigh our memories", and he focuses on the phenomenon of bullying among children and adolescents. According to him, these are quite common phenomena, and they are often accompanied by feelings of persecution, misunderstanding, loss and invisibility. "It's an experience of persecution and invasion of your safe area if only because of who you are. Such a reality leaves emotional scars, thoughts of escaping, hiding or developing a 'disappearance' skill. Wall after wall, that person disappears, and remains a 'human shell' trying to cry for help. "But he can not let the pain go."

As a child, Jonathan admits to being socially abused, and he feels a responsibility to create a dialogue around this painful issue. "The collection I created refers to a person going through a mental-psychological journey of growing up and overcoming painful and traumatic past memories. I translated the memories into the textures I created in the textiles I use: the scarred, swollen and vulnerable."

In his collection he chose to represent the tension between fragility and power, the changing boundaries of the familiar body and the reinvention of human proportions. The collection, made mostly in the technique of knitting and digital printing, contains five items ranging from a puffy coat that almost "digests" the body and face, an asymmetrical tulle dress full of fabric, sweaters reminiscent of armor and a huge suit full of synthetic laces.