Ruth Dayan, peace activist and founder of Maskit Fashion, dies at 103 – WWD

Ruth Dayan, founder of the Maskit fashion house and first wife of former Israeli defense minister Moshe Dayan, has died aged 103.

She died on February 5 at her home in Tel Aviv from an illness, according to Nir Tal, general manager of Maskit.

Daughter of Russian immigrants born in 1917 under Turkish rule, Dayan experienced the British conquest, the proclamation of the state of Israel, numerous wars and efforts to resolve the Palestinian conflict. Together with Maskit, she established Israel’s first fashion house and in so doing helped bridge cultural, political and religious divisions. Fluent in several languages, Dayan was an advocate for promoting understanding between cultures. “Politics is one thing. Art and understanding other cultures is another, ”Dayan told WWD in 1974.

Dayan, who used to weave, started in the craft industry in 1949 and founded Maskit in 1954. The government-sponsored organization was initially established to preserve local crafts from all new immigrants to Israel. and provide them with work. Maskit has produced a wide range of lifestyle products including rugs, jewelry, home decor and gifts, among others. His intention was to bring people together through fashion, culture and with a strong sense of aesthetics.

Maskit executives plan to hold a secular exhibit on how the company is the premier social entrepreneurship in Israel, and possibly around the world – to relay its messages about sustainable fashion, its values ​​and others. relevant topics.

With the help of Hungarian designer Fini Leitersdorf, who designed Maskit fashion and accessories for 15 years, Dayan created styles embellished with embroidery and other accents by immigrant and Bedouin, Druze, Palestinian, Lebanese women. and Syrians. After the Six Day War of 1967, Arab workers were included in Maskit’s workforce. Dayan once described the name Maskit as meaning an “ornament” or “an aesthetically exciting object”. In July 1967, 1,500 people came to greet Dayan and support Maskit at an event at the America-Israel House of Culture in New York. Dayan once said of his efforts, “It is as much for their dignity as it is for their livelihood.”

With good taste and intercontinental sensibility, Dayan had an entrepreneurial mindset. She “was a citizen of the whole world. She has traveled all over the world, meeting very important people as Moshe Dayan’s first wife. She explored the world before most of us – in the 1950s and 1960s, ”Tal said.

He continued, “She was very active with people. She believed that when you meet someone, you [should] forget about gender, nationality and all the stuff that comes with history and just believe the people and not all the other kinds of distractions. Ruth was very committed to peace and the future of peace, investing in children and education. “

At its peak, Maskit employed 2,000 people and owned 10 stores in Israel and one on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The company sold to Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. There were also joint exhibitions with Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent. The Israeli government owned Maskit until 1978, when it became private property. The company was closed in 1994, but was relaunched in 2014 with Dayan as honorary chairman. Head designer Sharon Tal, who interned at Alber Elbaz and then specialized in embroidery at Alexander McQueen, was brought in to handle the creative side.

Trunk shows were held in various cities before the coronavirus crisis and a direct-to-consumer online approach still exists for fashion collection and non-sartorial items. Currently, Maskit has around 30 employees and operates an in-house workshop and three stores in Israel. The brand is known for its “Desert” coat, which has been worn by celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker and former First Lady Michelle Obama, who received one as a diplomatic gift.

Born in Haifa, Israel, she spent part of her childhood in England before the family returned to Israel. She lived in the farming community of Nahalal for many years. There she met and later married Dayan in 1935. They had three children – Yael, an author turned politician, and the late Ehud, a sculptor, and Assi, a renowned actor and filmmaker, who died in 2017 and 2014 respectively. Dayan and his husband divorced after 37 years of marriage.

An early proponent of women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship for social justice, Dayan was visionary in that she believed in enlisting top-notch designers and artists to build Maskit from scratch. . Recognizing that many immigrants from North Africa were adept silversmiths, embroiderers, sculptors and craftsmen, she encouraged them to use these skills to support their families.

Tal said: “Everything was inspired by the geography, culture and history of Israel. Now we are heavily influenced by retail and Tel Aviv as well. Ruth was an active part of the company until a few weeks ago. She was first and foremost our muse and our inspiration. She received weekly updates on the company and its news. “

Dayan introduced hand-woven dresses and other Maskit fashion items to the United States in 1967. With the help of Jerry Silverman of Seventh Avenue, Dayan hosted a fashion event in New York City. After welcoming attendees with “the biggest smile and like she’s known them all her life,” blue-eyed Dayan spoke to WWD about her 12 hours of work and travel. As for living with her very powerful husband, Dayan told WWD in 1967: “We each have our jobs and they don’t clash.

“I am a very little religious person. I’m sure religion has done a lot of good in this world, but its interpretation has certainly done a lot of harm. I believe in human beings and what they can do for each other… I think there is someone or something unknown to all of us, but I think the same is true for everyone, ”she told WWD that year.

Dayan has also written several books including “Israel Crafts” and “Where Did I Dream the Dream?” The True Story of Ruth Dayan ”, which detailed her husband’s many extramarital affairs and famously declared that he“ had such a bad taste for women ”. Despite this openness in her writing and her ability to cross political and religious boundaries, Dayan was modest and did not allow the Maskit team to present large photos of her at the Maskit Museum in Tel Aviv. From her perspective, “She never did anything extreme. I just did my job.

“My interests in crafts were purely human. I never did it to have anything to do with religion, “Dayan told WWD in 1974.” No one thinks our work is anything but futile. For Israel, crafts are part of our economy. We have no natural resources. “

Having lived through war-torn times, Dayan’s work in fashion has sometimes enlightened others. She said she sometimes had to explain shipping delays to US buyers such as “the artist is fighting in a war and won’t be back for several months.” A human rights defender, Dayan is committed to seeing the peace process evolve.

“I run an organization to understand Arabs and Jews. I am convinced that Jews should learn to speak both Arabic and Hebrew. Most Arabs speak Hebrew, ”Dayan said in 1974.

Linked as she was to her first husband, Dayan did not hesitate to discuss their separation. “I am proud to have been Moshe’s wife for 37 years. I am also proud to have had the courage to leave him. I really don’t think I would marry anyone. We’ve had a very special kind of life full of ups and downs and steeped in history, but I think friends are more important than marriage, ”she told WWD in 1974.

“Divorce shouldn’t be a calamity either. It’s part of life, like abortion. Have I ever had an abortion? You shouldn’t ask questions like that, ”Dayan said.

In 2006, Dayan helped connect New York designer Nili Lotan with a group of Bedouin artisans in southern Israel to incorporate their embroidery into her collection. Dayan and Lotan drove to different places together in search of the embroiderers and formed a friendship in the process. Lotan said on Monday: “I think what she meant to the Israelis is what they call a beautiful Israel. She was there from the very beginning – from the establishment of Israel and she lived to be almost 104 years old. She was very aware and involved in the current affairs and what was happening because of her marriage to Moshe Dayan, one of the founders of the country. Her children were very involved in politics and culture. The life she lived and what she was exposed to throughout those 100 years was sort of what Israel was. At the same time, her personality did not stop at being the wife of [Dayan.] She was a very independent, strong and opinionated woman and an entrepreneur.

Noting how Maskit’s founder contributed on a human level and helped forge relationships between many Palestinians and Israelis, Lotan referred to how Dayan brought children from Palestine and East Jerusalem by bus to Tel Aviv to be able to see the sea for the first time. . “She touched so many people and so many people knew her that it’s hard to sum it up nationally.” the New York-based designer.

His humanitarian efforts have included serving on the board of directors of B’Tselem. In 2014, she was awarded the President’s Medal by the late Shimon Peres. Dayan is survived by his daughter Yael and his sister Reuma.