Israel's Women of the Wall inspire 'cutting-edge' fashion line
The Jewish feminist activists who pray at the Western Wall have inspired designers at Comme Il Faut, one of Tel Aviv鈥檚 top fashion houses.
Former Israeli beauty queen Yana Kalman models Comme Il Faut's new winter collection, inspired by the Jewish feminist group known as Women of the Wall. The line, called 'There is none other besides her' includes feminine versions of traditional Jewish Orthodox menswear.
Courtesy of Anna Yam
Jerusalem
For 25 years, the Jewish feminist activists known as Women of the Wall have faced arrests, court battles, and allegations of upsetting public order for wrapping themselves in prayer shawls and carrying Torah scrolls 鈥� two accoutrements normally reserved for men 鈥� at the Western Wall, Judaism鈥檚 holiest site.聽
Though the WOW movement has gained momentum in recent months, it has largely failed to garner much mainstream support in Israel, where much of the population is secular and the more modern,聽gender-egalitarian Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism are fairly marginal among religious Jews.聽
But the women activists have caught the eye of designers at聽Comme Il Faut, one of Tel Aviv鈥檚 most cutting-edge fashion houses, and inspired their 2013-14 winter collection 鈥� entitled "There is none other besides her."
鈥淲e heard that the Women of the Wall wanted to pray out loud, which in Judaism is:聽Oi va voy, the responsibility is for men, and women have to shut up,鈥� says聽the company's secular CEO and founder Sybil Goldfiner, who聽adds it's a perfect match given her company鈥檚 penchant for social commentary.聽聽鈥淲e saw their stand for women鈥檚 rights really admirable.鈥�
Tapping into the styles worn by men in the most conservative and socially insulated Jewish community in Israel, the designers tailored elegant silhouettes that are still patently feminine. Starchy white button-down shirts, the fringed prayer shawl (or tallit), and the heavy coat were reinterpreted for pieces such as 鈥淩achel,鈥� which like all of the collection鈥檚 pieces is named after a biblical figure.
Beyond the aesthetics, both the designers and the activists hope to bring the controversy around religious pluralism and women鈥檚 rights to Israel鈥檚 mainstream. The world of Tel Aviv 鈥撀燾onsidered the country鈥檚 commercial and cultural 鈥渂ubble鈥� 鈥� and Jerusalem, its religious and political center, "couldn't be farther apart," says聽WOW's聽PR director聽Shira聽Pruce. 鈥淏ut Jewish women in Israel are hungry for a way to be empowered religiously, without being stifled or silenced.鈥澛�
The Comme Il Faut designers attended WOW's 25th anniversary gathering at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and proceeds from a T-shirt featuring the slogan,聽We lovingly give permission to one another聽will go to the organization.
Ms. Goldfiner, the CEO, acknowledges that her line is a political statement, but asserts that from challenging conventional images of beauty to supporting women鈥檚 prayer rights, the fashion industry has a social responsibility.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to just be provocative, but for us the personal is political,鈥� she says.