FLASHBACK

 

 

Flashback

My love affair with swimwear began back in the late 70s when I was studying fashion design in high school. At the time, as befitting future designers, we sewed all our own clothes…

I clearly remember wanting a bikini with a navy triangle bra and white piping, and that's precisely what I set out to do. The problem was that, at the time, no special fabrics for swimwear (made of nylon and spandex fibers) were available, only knitted nylon fabrics. When I tried on the bikini, the more I stretched it to try and get a perfect fit, the more the cloth stretched and stretched…

Well, after many fittings and numerous attempts to stretch it, I just gave up!

I didn't get a swimsuit from that experiment, but in retrospect, I see that this incident was the beginning of a long, distinguished career.

Immediately after my release from the IDF, I started working for Gottex, and the late Judith Gottfried, the daughter of Lea Gottlieb, the company’s founder and owner, decided to send me to study the swimwear and underwear trade at ESMOD, an exclusive private school in France.

Since then, I have turned my passion into a career. I started right at the bottom and advanced step by step, learning all that there is to know: sewing, cutting, pattern making, handicrafts, packaging, organizing fashion shows, fashion illustration (for use in presenting a collection to buyers), and textiles design.

There I began to understand the power of a great creation!

The more my curiosity was aroused and the more I learned, the more I fell in love with the field of fashion, enjoying each and every moment! It was only 5 years later that I actually started working in fashion design.

Apart from designing the swimwear, I also designed and drew the fabrics by hand, using gouache and/or markers, way back before the computer era!

Designing the textiles also involved establishing the basics of the field and inventing new methods for fabric design, while minimizing expenses and maintaining the technological capabilities and print of the various fabrics.

This provided me with a competitive edge that enabled me to design exclusive collections of swimwear and beachwear, sportswear and leisure clothing, children's clothing and underwear.

I have been intensively involved in the setting up of two factories (Trulo and Cannelle), with responsibility for the design concept, and have managed and upgraded departments in factories for the leading companies in Israel.

Swimwear and beachwear that I have designed and which bears my stamp have been sold in Europe, South Africa and the USA ,in exclusive retail chain stores and through prestigious catalogs all over the world, including: Galeries Lafayette, Le Printemps, Le Bon Marche, Spiegel, Madeleine, Alba Moda, A.B. Lambdin, 3 Suisses, El Corte Ingles, Victoria's Secret.

I have also had the honor of designing swimwear collections for the Italian designer Valentino.

My ability to design exclusive, high quality collections, adapted to the requirements of local and international audiences, can be attributed to fact that I am well acquainted with the various markets and understand the types and requirements of the female body, as well as to my extensive knowledge of the fashion industry, particularly swimwear, including the pattern cutting, sewing and production stages.

At present, I am also engaged as a Creative Designer &  Collection Consultant in several Swimwear & Lingerie companies and as a Conductor of  a Unique swimwear Design intensive course as well.

 

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