When Ariel Berka named her graduation collection First Person Feminine, the phrase came to her instantly. For her, it signaled intimacy and resistance. “It’s about reclaiming narrative: a woman telling her own story in the first person, rather than being spoken for or objectified,” she explains. The designs speak as much as they dress, carrying arguments in leather and silver.
The hanger stands at the heart of the collection. Berka treats it as both tool and weapon. Designers use it daily, yet for women it once meant unsafe abortions and lost control. “The ordinary turned violent, the domestic turned political,” she says. In one look, the hanger locks a bodysuit together. In another, rigid straps suspend the body like a figure unable to step down. Berka shaped each silver detail by hand, reclaiming a tool of control as a symbol of defiance.
She also turned to the 1950s, when society forced women back into domestic roles after wartime freedom. Cape-like jackets, high-waisted briefs, and nursing bras reappear, reshaped in leather. “So much time has passed, yet so little has truly changed,” she reflects. “Power that is given to us can also be taken away.”
Leather runs through the collection as both language and contradiction. The material bends but resists, seduces yet restricts. Berka pushed it with laser cutting, engraving, and sculpting. For one skirt, she stretched leather over a concrete mold built from a yoga ball. “Leather holds contradictions. It can be delicate, yet also carry the weight of restriction. That duality became the language of the collection.”
Silver details sharpen that tension. Buckles, clasps, and closures act as both fastenings and structure. Cold and precious, silver reminds viewers of external control while reclaiming ornament as strength.
Though the collection speaks to politics and autonomy, Berka avoids blunt statements. “I don’t want the clothes to read as blunt political slogans,” she says. Instead, she relies on beauty to pull people closer. “By framing difficult conversations in forms of elegance, I can open a dialogue that feels less intimidating and more resonant.”
Her garments shift between armor and confinement. Sculpted leather cages the body while also protecting it. “Armor, traditionally linked with masculine strength, is reimagined for the female body. Confinement speaks to a long history of women being controlled,” she explains. Together, they ask whether strength and restriction can ever stand apart.
Life in Tel Aviv sharpens her perspective on fragility. “On October 7th, nearly two years ago, we experienced the most devastating day of my life and of so many people I love. It left me with a deep understanding of how much leadership matters, and how political decisions shape our lives.” Even so, her work reaches beyond Israel. She showed her collection at Mittelmoda in Milan and began building global collaborations.
Guidance from a trusted mentor has been central to this journey. Berka credits her professor and long-time advisor Yossi Katzav for nurturing both the conceptual and technical depth of First Person Feminine. “He constantly challenged me to push materials further and to articulate my ideas with clarity,” Berka recalls. From experimenting with leather-molding techniques to refining the show’s narrative arc, the mentor provided a steady hand, encouraging bold risks while grounding them in craftsmanship.
Berka hopes her audience leaves with more than admiration for sculptural shapes. “What I hope remains with people is not only the beauty of the garments, but the fear and urgency behind them. Rights we take for granted today can be taken away tomorrow.”
With First Person Feminine, Berka proves fashion can act as both beauty and resistance. Leather and silver become voices, telling a story of power, vulnerability, and the fight for autonomy.
Photographer : Goren Witkind
Makeup and hair artist: Yael Eitan
Model : Snejana Shak for mc2 model agency
Jewelery: Merce jewelry (excl. Earrings )
