Skip to main content

Ultra-Orthodox scene bursting with kosher fashion

Young Israeli ultra-Orthodox fashion designers prove that a woman can dress stylishly, even within limits of religious modesty.

IMG_8661.jpg
A model displays a wedding gown in the ultra-orthodox fashion, created by the Israeli designer Chana Marelus, who owns a prominent brand of bridal and evening gowns. — Tal Abodi

"Ultra-Orthodox fashion" almost sounds like an oxymoron to a common secular person like me. Secular people are aware of ultra-Orthodox women’s wear mostly in the context of the full-body coverage of especially strict streams of Orthodoxy. Even then the term “fashion” seems to not quite fit the huge swaths of fabric meant to cover as much as possible and to hide the figure, and nothing more. In a world where the highest value is modesty, it seems perhaps impossible to dress nicely and attractively.

But in the past several years a new trend has surfaced: The ultra-Orthodox community is opening up (relatively, of course) to the modern world — except for the extreme sects — and quite a few ultra-Orthodox fashion designers have taken up the challenge.

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in