The future of the industry by Israel in the West Bank

  For some time rejected Oded Chai, responsible for training and international affairs at Shenkar Engineering and Design University, the idea of ​​a more unconventional business. Last winter, a group of manufacturers of textile Palestinian Shenkar every week for training in fashion design - lessons that are part of the Peres Center for "Partners in Business, Partners in Peace" peace project funded European Union.

The training program is what gave Chai his idea: "To a cooperative, where designers and Palestinian Israeli manufacturers work in close cooperation and equal distribution of benefits to establish," he said.

The products are intended for U.S. and European market. "It can be wonderful," he said.

Chai even know that this plan will take time and hard work before the project can become a reality. This is exactly why tomorrow Shenkar, organize the Peres Center and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce conference a unique business, where Israeli fashion designers and brands with leading Italian designers and manufacturers of the Palestinian Authority will meet.

This meeting Peres Peace House in Jaffa is to establish relations between different groups on the ground and focus on the economic benefits associated with these activities to deepen the geographical proximity and skilled workers in the PA. At the end of the conference, there will be one-on-one meetings to develop business relationships.

The obvious advantages of the Palestinian textile industry - its relatively low cost, will make small quantities and familiarity with the local market conditions - make it well suited to work with the Israeli designer. However, capacity and reality are not the same.

"Many designers are not even aware of such a possibility," Chai said. "And those who are afraid of being cheated, or the quality is not high enough. The problem here is the need to understand that it is possible, despite the objective and non-objective" difficulties.

The designer Ronen Chen said it. Well as a design issue "For people outside of the field of fashion, from manufacturing to Gaza may seem like a strange idea, as there are those who turn up their noses at the quality of the manufacturing in China. But as soon as I have a large sewing in the Gaza Strip that made your favorite handmade evening wear "jeans had, he said.

But one day, the closed shop and he needed to find other solutions.

Chen now produces about 30 percent of its assets in the West Bank, and it is not just a matter of economics or geography. "I worked with a sewing workshop in Baka al-Sharqiya 15 years., The quality is excellent and I am very satisfied with the reliability and professional connection between us. Can I not trust the shop owner blind, even if the political situation deteriorated, he worked closely with us on, "he said.

Israeli textile manufacturing has narrowed over the past two decades, said Chen. It's a job disappear because no one wants to be a tailor, when they grow up. "The wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union brought with well-trained professionals who are integrated in the local industry, but there is no generation after them. Most sewing in Tel Aviv were closed, and those that are still in progress in order to to work in Israel, particularly in Galilee, for the most specialized and inappropriate to work in our region, the ability to change and high complexity requires adjustment.

"The West Bank, however, had workshops that specialize in different areas. In Nablus, for example, there are shops that know how to sew pants and jeans. Through the years it turned out that way, it seems been passed on and preserved the tradition from generation to generation. There are also wonderful workshops for leather work. This is an industry that keeps its strength, but Israeli designers have to work. "

Build an independent economy

Designer Dorin Frankfurt has a factory in Tel Aviv, she is proud and reflects his belief in the local manufacturing sector. But in 2007, she worked with H & O chain in the production of a collection of the Palestinian Authority, which has left a very positive impression.

"The clothes that we have made in the PA were stunning from a technical perspective. I was so impressed with the quality of work that I do not understand why anyone would want to do [Far] East at all," she said. "In Nablus and Hebron, there are surprisingly professional experienced in working with leather, so why not work with them? Furthermore, it is our duty to help the welfare and livelihoods of the people of PA., it is for the good of all. course, each case is different, and it is important that things are done professionally and fairly. "

Although there is already a Palestinian companies export their products to the United States of America, Dubai and Jordan, Tarek Sub, Chairman of the Palestinian Union of textile and clothing industry, and his deputy Majdi Zreir - who attend the conference - define Israel as an important goal for expanding their businesses.

"Two decades ago, there were about 90,000 people in the occupied Palestinian textile industry, but today only about 15,000 work there," said Zreir.

The Palestinian textile industry has of course affected by the process of globalization and the wiping motion of the manufacture in the Far East, and many of those remaining work supplies for Israeli manufacturers.

"Today, there are nearly 200 large and well [textile] workshops in the PA, and approximately 1,000 small house workshops. Together, the textile industry, which form a central element of economic Palestinians," says Zreir. "We want an independent economy to build for the Palestinian people, rather than relying on the support from countries around the world. "

For Edan Raviv, Director of the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Peres Center, which oversees the project, the expectations do not have to stop in order to increase the volume of production. Two training programs have been carried out: First, focusing on innovative working methods, quality control and modeling, while the second deals more with the design in three dimensions. Both were determined to produce a new generation of fashion designers in the PA.

"The response we received from the participants [two courses] was that it was not enough, and we hope that there will be a sequel," Chai said, noting that the process created a little interest and curiosity in Palestinian industry.

Your goal is to train manufacturers and designers to produce?

"That's a good question. My recommendation is, programs to train designers who can develop lead the creation of a College of Fashion in the PA at the end. Turns out that he is a great hunger for it, even though the fashion design or design in general is still not considered a desirable profession in Arab society. And the people in the textile industry itself have realized that if you for others it gives you status, and if you are able, a collection and marketing of design are already any other status. "