since everyone in my homeland are celebrating israel’s 73rd independence day (okay, okay, technically i’m a day or two behind), or yom ha’atzma’ut as we call it, i thought to myself that it would be a good idea to introduce you to some of my favorite design stores that are all about showcasing israeli design. all these stores are full of love to all these designers and creators that i’ve came to love and appreciate ever since i started my own design break journey, back in 2009.
first of is asufa. “asufa” (which means “a collection” in hebrew) is a collection of products, of talents, of inspiration and innovation. it’s an actual brick and mortar store but also an inspiring online destination for unique and creative israeli design. from design students to well known brands.
it was founded back in 2012 and i still remember the goosebumps I got when I first time i entered into this magical place… after all it was the first time i saw some of my all time blog posts come to life. the force behind the online and offline stores is lior yamin, at the time a young product designer, who understood that there’s a need to establish a house for all these young graduates to be seen. anyways, i could talk for ours about lior and all that he has done to the design scene in israel but i’ll let you be the judge of his mad curated skills.
and if that wasn’t enough, in 2015 lior founded SAGA, the baby sister of “asufa”.
unlike “asufa”, SAGA is a design gallery that showcase objects on the higher end of the spectrum and you can find there creations from product designer, ceramists and glass designer, as well as architects, carpenters and multidisciplinary artists.
next is moxie. it’s defiantly one of the pleasant surprises that came about in 2020. “moxie” brings the boutique experience online, performing as a gate to the local boutiques and creators in tel-aviv. it was founded by the wicked tal brown, a woman that does it all with her own two hands and a little help from her friends. tal curates a collection of fashion, art and lifestyle products wrapped with the most intriguing and well designed branding. what can i say, i’m addicted to the moxie sponsored posts. there, i said it! oh and… having moxie, means having enough cleverness, skill, creativity and fortitude to solve a difficult situation.
another destination that i discovered just recently but apparently was around for some time now is maskit matana (aka “gift” in hebrew). maskit was the first fashion house in israel, that was founded in 1954 by the legendary ruth dayan and later on was rebuilt by designer, sharon tal. in maskit’s gift collection you’ll find a unique curation of products and artists that symbolize the israeli experience for its fascinating diversity of culture, rich history, and varied geography.
the new kid on the block is handle with care that was just launched last month by the ladies behind art source, michal freedman and sarah peguine. with “art source”, these two created a platform that gives exclusive access to discover and collect the best of what contemporary israeli art has to offer. and if that wasn’t enough the two decided that it’s time to conquer the design scene. their vision is to shine a spotlight on unique pieces that blur the borders between fine art and design. michal and sarah have the eye and i can’t wait to follow along and discover more, as i am sure there are many surprises and revelation under their wings.
and last but defiantly not least is the freshies box. freshies is the love child from the creators of freshpaint. an annual contemporary art and design fair that takes place in tel aviv. “freshies” is a box full of surprises with exclusive art and design items in limited editions. at the moment it’s all in hebrew but i’m sure they’d love to hear from design lovers no matter the language they speak.
now, since i’ve been away from israel for the last eight years (i know!), i’m sure there is a lot more that i don’t know about and i’d love to! so, in case there’s an online destination that i left behind, do help an isreali out and write it out in the comments.
i hope you’ll find the joy in the designed creations of the land of white, blue and design.
happy ha’atzma’ut to all you israelis wherever you are around the globe!
