Purim 2013's costume trends
One of Tel Aviv's major costume designers tells JN1 about this year's most popular holiday outfits
Video courtesy of jn1.tv
Naima Abalya has owned Pure Glorious Costumes for over 30 years. This family-run business was the first costume designer for Purim in Tel Aviv. Essentially they design and create original costumes for 10 months out of the year and sell them for the two-month Purim season.
"Even though the competition is fierce and other companies import their costumes from China for low prices, we insist to design and produce our costumes in Israel to keep high quality and try to stay unique," says designer Adva Abalya.
Every year brings its new trends of characters made into costumes sometimes ripped from the headlines and sometimes inspired by blockbuster movies, but it seems a new category emerged in 2013.
Purim in Tel Aviv (Photo: Omer Zarbiv)
According to Abalya, "One of the most popular costumes this year was the costume of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who is the spiritual leader of the Shas party, and it combines both the literary part and the political part.
"Of course we also have this year, like every year, the traditional costumes such as a princess, an astronaut, small costumes for babies such as clowns and animals.
"We also have Queen Esther and Mordechai, and there is also the Hasidic costume, which is very popular even with secular costumers.
"Especially this year, one of the most popular costumes was an Israeli Air Force pilot after Operation Pillar of Defense. Israeli pilots are heroes in the eyes of Israeli kids, who see them as big heroes who defend our country."
The two days of Purim are huge moneymakers that are worth millions to the local industry.
