Although scholars in the field of aesthetics (Parsons, Forsey) have suggested definitions for “Design”, they haven’t treated Ideology as a part of it. In this study, I turn to look at the clothes and the design practice of two Iconic Israely fashion brands, Ata and Maskit, brands for whom Ideology has been a defining element.
In order to do so, I analyze clothes designed by the brands from their mythical past and their current brand revival. When analysing every stitch and size label on the garment, many findings easily lead to matters like economy, labor, cultural capital or social status, altogether weaving into the fabric of Ideology. Those findings were expected to appear in the original vintage garments, but non the less are apparent in the new garments as well. The relations between the ideological findings in the past and the present reflect fundamental changes within the defining Israely ideology - Zionism. Much like the familiar names that went through brand revival, Zionism was not abandoned by the new brands, but merely transformed into it’s contemporary entity.
The heart of this research is in the clothes themselves, a new method was formulated in order to examine as many aspects as possible, present and embodied in the clothes, trusting them to reveal what the designers and entrepreneurs may not.
This study is largely based on historical research regarding Ata and Maskit by Helman, El-Or, Guilat and Doner. The theoretical framework of the analysis relies on the term Simulacra as theorized by Baudrillard.