During Holon Design Week dozens of promising young designers made presentations to a panel of design week directors and global design leaders. We saw everything from jewelry, fashion, product, housewares, furniture and brand new materials. See five of the ten best designers emerging in Israel's growing design community below, and be sure to check out the other five in Part One.
1. Lena Dubinsky
A gifted ceramicist and a Red Dot Design winner, Lena has a broad portfolio that includes a set of ceramic irrigation tiles as well as a collection of tools that pays homage to ancient measuring devices. She also might have been the only designer I met at Design Week who wasn't interested in producing a large run of her work or even selling it at all. When I asked her if she had a sales plan for a line of porcelain rings she had just made, each a unique, miniature sculpture crafted by hand, she told me she didn't feel right selling them, that it would be more honest to give them away to people to ensure they found a good home.
2. Lital Mendel
I saw several designers use materials in a surprising way, but none so surprising as Lital's jewelry made from vacuum-formed PVC wrapped stones. Her 'plastic-wrapped' pieces are a result of a search for a replacement for diamonds. No, there is simply no replacement for diamonds, but her clear, shiny gem stones might be a start. I like her Folded collection best. Each piece is made entirely from a single piece of intricately folded paper.
