KIM PERETS IS BRINGING TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY TO THE FOREFRONT OF FASHION
BY RHIANNA JONES
One of the core tenets of being a designer is to constantly seek inspiration, illuminating one’s imagination by exploring cultural trends, visual discovery, and traveling into the unknown. But beyond fueling their imaginations, some designers, like Kim Perets, see their inspiration search as a challenge for innovation. Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, Perets debuted her thesis collection at New York Fashion Tech Week. She’s worked under other renowned industry innovators like Iris Van Herpen, one of Israel’s shining stars, lauded for her focus on high-tech couture fashion, employing laser-cut technology and handmade clothing with innovative materials and textiles.
When Perets opened her own studio, she focused her line on appealing to disrupters vs. the mainstream, launching at the alternative fashion week in Tel Aviv with a zero budget collection made entirely from reused fabrics, unstitched and redesigned into new silhouettes. Her commitment to sustainability is no gimmick, it’s also stitched into her brand ethos. In her words, “I believe that as a designer, you must always change and evolve. At this stage of my career, I love creating clothes with no gender, fashion that is meant to show and not to cover. When I design, I imagine my customers wearing my clothes and feeling comfortable in their bodies and true to their authentic selves.”
This desire for comfort is apparent in her designs in both a metaphorical and material sense. Her now signature laser-cut collections stemmed from her struggle to look elegant in the blazing hot Israeli summers. The result: fabric perforated with geometric “windows,” comprising everything from kimonos and trousers to mesh suiting. Whether gracing global fashion editorials or the red carpet, Perets’ goal is to capture the juxtaposition of the fabric against the body. The windows she opens in the garment are portals for her clients to embrace, and love, the skin they’re in.
Kim Perets
