The class of 2017 at the Fashion Design Faculty in Shenkar College exhibited their final collections in two impressive runway shows at Hangar 11 inside the Tel Aviv Port. Each collection was created after four years of intense activity, in which each of the 40 graduates specialized in various professional, cultural, and interdisciplinary fields. The culmination of their studies was expressed through personal projects that tried to shed new light and stimulate new perspectives inside the dormant relationships to clothing and fashion.

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The President of Shenkar, Prof. Yuli Tamir, expressed that “an exceptional blend of talent, creativity, and innovation, alongside professionalism befitting the best fashion houses in the world is what makes the Fashion Design Faculty in Shenkar one of the 10 most highly regarded fashion departments in the world.” Tamir also added that on a personal note, she herself “learned a lot since coming to Shenkar. One of the biggest lessons for me was seeing beyond the visible. When I look at fashion now, I don’t just see clothing - dresses, shirts, and jackets - but stories: narratives of identity, representations of love and hope, lessons from the past and visions for the future.” 

The fashion show was hosted by Dafna Lustig. Among the honored guests sat David Quarrey, the British Ambassador to Israel, Susan Pernick, President of the American Committee for Shenkar, Ariella Wertheimer, Sivan Talmor, Ronny Douek, Liora Ofer, Keren Mor, Yael Huldai, and Jacek Chodorowicz, the Polish Ambassador to Israel and father of Jan Chodorowicz, one of the participating graduates. 

Following the fashion show, the Pini Leitersdorf Prize was awarded to the graduates Or Eidelman and Daniel Biri. The announcement surprised many of the attendees since this marked the first time the prize has been awarded to two students instead of one. Or Eidelman’s final collection “Don’t Go to Rio...”, inspired by his home country Brazil, was awarded 40,000 ILS. Daniel Biri’s collection F.C. BIRI, inspired by the world of professional soccer, was awarded a total of 10,000 ILS. 

All the Designers and all the design: Visit the fashion graduate website >>

Or Eidelman's winning collection (Photo by Rafi Delouya)

The large presence of collections targeted at male clothing stood out this year, as 10 collections were dedicated solely to male clothing, and some collections included mixed gender. The diversity of styles in the student project was apparent at first glance, marked by an aesthetic that ranged from the world of soccer to traditional and delicate themes.

A variety of cultural and social concepts marked several of the final projects, examining the relationships between patriotism and subculture, city centers and their peripheries, locality and globality, identity and gender, amongst other topics. The graduates were able to extract inspiration from their personal life while creating collections that speak on broader topics that affect us all. 

All the Designers and all the design: Visit the fashion graduate website >>

Top image: Daniel Biri's winning collection (Photo by Rafi Delouya)