Hipsters from the Comme Il Faut fashion house in Israel have opened their own mini-mall, an “anti-mall” they say, in Tel Aviv’s port. It is one which encourages creativity over mass-consumption.
Tel Aviv is a fast and furious place. Days after Gaultier and Gucci release new collections, knock-offs are already on the streets being peddled every which way – especially in the Carmel Market. To combat blind consumerism, Comme Il Faut (“As it should be”) has intervened and invented its own chic line of clothing which makes use of local talent not sweatshops.
After 18 years of operation, the fashion house isn’t new to the idea of weaving a social agenda into its wares. And although Comme Il Faut’s clothes may cost you and arm and a leg, chances are your arms and legs will be clothed a long time, notes Yael, a rep from the shop who wears clothes her mother bought at Comme Il Faut 10 years ago.
Comme Il Faut is not the only shop featured at this new anti-mall called Beit Banamal (“House in the Harbor”): there is an African art shop, a handmade jewelry store, an erotica shop just for women, an organic cafe and a women-only spa that offers massage and wellness treatments.
Art exhibits rotate on a regular basis and every other Monday or so, guests are brought in to give talks on fair trade, to read poetry, to dance or discuss women’s issues and fashion. All this happens within the backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea and its giant waves licking the boardwalk a few meters away.
