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Entity breaks down the street style trends of major areas of the world, like Tel Aviv.

Currently cited as one of the biggest hipster cities in the world, Tel Aviv, Israel, has grown significantly in terms of fashion-forward individuals. It is also a place lush with up-and-coming fashion designers that are keeping pace with the latest trends in the industry. To give you an inside glance of this dynamic metropolis, we’ve profiled some of the hottest names in the Israeli fashion industry as well as a few Tel Aviv locals who tell it like it is.

The Talents

1 Ronen Chen

Z I G Z A G

A photo posted by Ronen Chen (@ronenchen1) on

Designer (@ronenchen1)

One of Israeli’s most notable fashion icons at the moment, Chen is a graduate of Shenkar College of Engineering and Design who “began creating simple, modern clothing for the typical urban woman in the early 1990s,” says Israel21c.

While Chen originally opened stories in London, Ireland, Japan and the U.S., he soon realized the market in Israel, opening a total of 14 stores. Later, he expanded his business to open boutiques in the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Annually, the designer creates one full and 30 mini collections, typically adding seven to eight new pieces to his local stores each week. “His clothing is designed to flatter the wearer, with lots of draping and pleating. The overall look is classic, not trendy.”

In an interview with The Jewish Chronicle, Chen describe the way he caters to women of all varieties through his work. “I know celebrity designers tend to have a female ideal or a muse in mind when they work, but I have tons of women in my head of all shapes, sizes and ages. Comfortable clothing that flatters the figure is always my aim.”

In terms of his origins, Chen tells the publication, “I planned on being an architect because I had an eye for construction and could draw well, but I didn’t have the patience for buildings and so I tried fashion design and discovered the water felt good and I knew how to swim.”

2 Eliran Nargassi

Designer (@eliran_nargassi)

Eliran Nargassi works as a menswear designer. His brand was created in 2013 with the mission of revitalizing men’s fashion in Israel. His designs are clean-cut and minimalistic. “We aim to create wearable pieces; functional and with a personal statement. The commercial value is not a priority,” says the fashion brand.

During an interview with Male Model Scene, Nargassi was asked to recall how he first entered the fashion industry and what led him to start his own line. He responded, “My first contact with fashion came early on when I was a child, I used to take my sisters’ dolls and dress them up in small dresses I made. Before applying to college I managed to put my hands on a sewing machine and I made a simple jacket for myself, I was very proud of myself and I realized that fashion is what I really want.”

Initially inspired by architecture, Nargassi’s former love manifested into both the his fashion designs and daily life. When asked how this early inspiration became a reality, Nargassi told Male Model Scene, “Mostly, my inspiration comes from contrasts and conflicts that I experience in my life, for example religion vs secularism, gender but also architecture which took a big part of my inspiration for the SS14 collection.”

3 Adi Heyman

Céline / Valentino / Balenciaga. How bout them (erev Rosh Hashana) apples? ?

A photo posted by ADI | founder of fabologie (@fabologist) on

Blogger (@fabologist)

Founder of the style blog Fabologie, Adi Heyman is drawn to a modest form of fashion. She frequently shares her newest ensembles and fashion inspiration on her site.

Elisheva Perlman, who is the director of marketing and communication at Ohr Naava Women’s Torah Center in Brooklyn, told the New York Times, “What’s refreshing about Adi is that she allows Orthodox women who are interested in fashion not to feel confined and resentful of religion. Women can look to her blog posts, her Instagram and her personal style as proof that you don’t have to sacrifice religion for the sake of good fashion.”

Perlman said she notices that when Heyman debuts a new look, many women at Ohr Naava are quick to follow. “Suddenly, you see little Fabologists walking all over.”

The Locals

The town of Jaffa is the oldest section of Tel Aviv, an ancient port city. To see how the citizens have adapted in light of the recent influx of diverse new faces and cultures, the New York Times spoke to some of city’s most stylish individuals.

1 Omri Aviv

Graphic Designer

“I really love the Jaffa area, because it’s funky with a true Israeli look,” says Omri Aviv, who is the epitome of funky fresh in his green cut off jeans, black Billabong tee and tinted shades. “The clothes you buy here are just like the look of the place—funky and authentic. In Tel Aviv, no one looks at you—how you’re dressed, your haircut or how you act. I’m comfortable being who I am in Tev Aviv, It’s the best situation to be myself.”

2 Tzlil Danin

Musician

Musician Tzlil Danin emanates hipster chic in black skinny jeans, buckled chelsea flats and a cut out graphic t-shirt with the words “In Bloom” scrawled across it. The phrase couldn’t be more true about the vibe in Tel Aviv. “The last couple of years, the whole neighborhood changed because a lot of people moved here and you have a lot of new designers, stores here, and next to them there are flea markets and secondhand stores,” Danin tells the Times. “I just like the idea of recycled jewelry, clothes, everything because you need to make the most of what you have.”

3 Ofir Siman-Tov

Dancer

Perhaps none knows how to embrace the concept of ‘being yourself’ like Ofir Siman-Tov. Dressed in a pale pink fitted blouse dappled with flowers and luxurious white silk skirt, Siman-Tov tells the Times, “I like to play with masculinity and femininity. I dress like this because I feel so much more alive like this. Jaffa as a neighborhood is such a relaxed, chill . . . I wear this and nobody says nothing bad, so, great!”

4 Tmima Svitelman

Accountant

Though the vintage trends may just be a fad for some—for others it’s a lifestyle. “I try to look fashionable, on one hand, but on the other hand, true to myself and to the dress that I like,” says Tmima Svitelman, a woman who has lived through many stylistic changes throughout her lifetime.  “I connect very much to older styles. The style from the flea market is certainly the style from the late 19th and 20th centuries. It is a style that is changing, unfortunately, because I really really like old stores in the flea market.”

Pointing to an amber statement necklace that elegantly lays over the grey dress she wears, Svitelman explains, “This is actually a new piece of jewelry that I bought here today. There is certainly an eclectic style here that I like very much, and I hope they preserve it.”

For a further look into the lives of street style savvy people around the world, check out The New York Times’ “Intersection: Street Style” video series.

Edited by Ellena Kilgallon
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