Aharon Genish on Using Fashion To Change Our Relationship with Trauma

Fashion designer Aharon Genish made soundwaves across the nation with his collection titled “You will not be silent!” where he gave a window into his powerful life story. The breakthrough collection, presented as part of Genish’s final project at the WIZO Haifa Academy of Design and Education in 2018, revealed two sexual assaults the artist and designer experienced as a child growing up in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel.

Genish’s works reflect the emotional process and journey he endured, from pain, to revenge and acceptance. The 31-year-old designer cathartically channels his experiences into his work - a true amalgamation of fashion and art. Since 2018, Genish has gone on to create a series of moving collections juxtaposing traditional orthodox garb with contemporary design.

We spoke with Genish on his previous works, latest projects, and of course what’s in store for next season.

gggaaallleeerrryyy: You have a very unique life story. How do you express this into your works?

Aharon Ghenish: First I create a collage from my private and inner world while incorporating contemporary elements from everyday life, and from there I start working on developing a collection.

gggaaallleeerrryyy: Your 2018 collection “You will not be silent!” was one of the most impressive and important works presented in Israel. What was that experience like?

AG: The experience was very significant for me. I revealed a very personal story that got a great exposure that I didn't see it coming. The good part was that I was able to deal with the tragedy and heal myself through the pieces. The development stage was very challenging, and it was not easy to translate my tragedy into the creation of a garment.

gggaaallleeerrryyy: You were also the winner of the Lottery Fashion Incubator Award in 2019, as part of which you designed “Won’t Wear.” What inspired this work?

AG: As a teenager who grew up in an ultra-Orthodox society, I mainly remember the prohibitions and "laws" that characterized my childhood in the closed Yeshiva. One of the main ones was related to the strict standards of dress from which my passion for fashion was born. The collection was inspired by the verse from the Book of Deuteronomy, "Let no man wear a woman's garment and no man wear a woman's dress," concerning the traditional Jewish dress.

gggaaallleeerrryyy: Your work is truly a combination of fashion and art. Can you tell us more about your inspiration for your latest collection?

AG: In my new collection, I combine elements from the world which I came from to the world which I live in today, as a secular person. The tailored and conservative clothes taken from the ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva world, receive innovative and fashionable interpretations that create a unique language and line across genders and conventions.

gggaaallleeerrryyy: Your collection is composed of three prominent colors: black, white and red. What influenced these color choices?

AG: The black and white come from the traditional clothes I wore, where as the red is something defiant. The color red is not commonly worn in Judaism because it considered too bold and immodest.

gggaaallleeerrryyy: How would you say this collection is different from your previous works?

AG: It is important for me to keep my language so I think it is similar but different in the new collection “I shout quietly.”

gggaaallleeerrryyy: What’s the creation process like?

AG: The creative process begins with a lot of searching for various inspiration boards and receptors that I create, fabric developments, simulations, free sampling and works on cuts.

gggaaallleeerrryyy: What do you want your audience to take away?

AG: Let them feel the story through the garment, get excited through it, and seek for themselves an uncompromising, unique quality.

gggaaallleeerrryyy: And of course, we’d love to know - what’s next?

AG: Wake up in the morning and continuing to make art in clothes, developing the brand in the local and international industry, and of course, I am already working on my next collection.