Modern Conservatism

Category: Apparel

The project explores the dilemma of preserving tradition within a modern world. Tradition is often seen as a protected, encapsulated realm—frequently in tension with contemporary life. This dilemma is personal, reflecting my experience navigating between a traditional lifestyle and modern realities. The work examines the relationship between memory, tradition, and modern life through values such as wrapping, dramatic form, exposure, release, revelation, and layering. The goal is to root the collection in material, textural, and decorative memories drawn from formal traditions and Orthodox culture, while simultaneously granting the wearer agency—allowing her to choose the level, manner, and timing of exposure. The garments function as enveloping layers that construct new silhouettes. Through the act of wrapping, they reshape and reimagine the boundaries of the human and female form, resulting in shapes that are familiar yet subtly transformed. This interplay between recognizable silhouettes and innovative boundary-pushing reflects the search for new ways to define and contain tradition in a modern context—without erasing its core. By balancing concealment and revelation, the project questions how tradition can evolve without losing its foundation, and how clothing can serve as both a vessel of memory and a space for personal freedom and reinterpretation. The collection is composed of several key elements: the white Shabbat blouse, symbolizing formal attire associated with the “Shabbes” aesthetic; the use of textiles and elements drawn from the Orthodox religious world, such as lace, poplin, velvet, silk, leather, and an exaggerated sense of festivity. In addition, there are ornamental details inspired by Judaica. I used a bonding technique that allows me to merge traditional lace with everyday nylon, creating a new visual language of covering that navigates between the sacred and the secular. The collection forms a fusion between secularism and conservatism, between the new and the old. It offers a fresh, expressive approach to traditional boundaries through unconventional and innovative silhouettes—allowing space for the passage of time and change without compromising ancient conservatism.