Market Wise

Variety is selling a 10-milligram flacon of Angel Perfume by Thierry Mugler at public auction to help children with special needs.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
perfume crystal 88 (photo credit: Courtesy)
perfume crystal 88
(photo credit: Courtesy)
WHEN ISRAELIS win prizes in international competitions, it reflects favorably not only on the individuals concerned but also on Israel and sometimes the firms they work for, the places they received their education or the sports teams they play for. At the first International Art & Fashion Design Competition in Bilbao, Spain, both Israel and Shenkar College reaped the benefits of the individual and combined talents of Israeli designers. Of the 30 finalists, eight were from Israel and all of them were students or graduates of Shenkar College. Tatiana Pogrebnyak, who won first prize in the outfit design category, was also a finalist in the accessory design category. The winners in the accessory design category were also from Israel - Meital Zano and Yael Sarfati. That is quite a feather in Shenkar's cap, and a form of indirect marketing. That such a high proportion of Israelis, all with a Shenkar background, were among the finalists, will undoubtedly cause more foreign students to consider studying fashion and jewelry design in Israel. Those who do decide to study in Israel will get a different perspective of the country than what they see on their television screens. The other Israeli finalists in the contest were Jan Farhi, Maria Lavigina, Shani Cohen, Vered Gantz, Inbal Dymshitz and Ya'ara Dahan. The contest is to be held every two years, and is intended to give designers aged 18-35 a springboard toward commercializing their collections and bringing them to the attention of the media and the wider public. THE WELL-DRESSED man in Jordan will soon be wearing suits that are made in Israel. Yossi Jerudi, proprietor of Jerudi Fashion Ltd., a high-class menswear manufacturing company, has signed a contract with Sevim, one of Jordan's leading clothing stores, to produce 700 cool-wool suits that will retail for 800 Jordanian dinars each. Jerudi, who is a designer as well as a manufacturer, is optimistic that if the suits sell well in Jordan, other Arab states will also enter into business transactions with him. Jerudi outfitted Maccabi Tel Aviv's basketball players in the business suits they wear when they travel abroad; this was no mean feat, since most of the players are way beyond average size. FAST-FOOD company Karnaff is expanding and will open eight new branches by the end of 2008 at an investment of NIS 11 million. Beersheba, Eilat, Petah Tikva and Givatayim have been selected as locations for the first four stores, which are scheduled to go into operation within the next two months. The Karnaff chain specializes in salads, meat sandwiches and roll-ups; it already has four outlets in Tel Aviv, one in Ramat Hasharon and one in Ramat Gan. Proprietors of the chain are Aroma Israel and Shlomo Adamski. AS PART of its strategic-marketing policy, Shilav, the children's wear company, has entered into an arrangement with Haver, the defense establishment's consumer club. Members of the standing army, and pensioners who once were, will receive discounts of at least 10 percent on all purchases. Each month, Shalev will also introduce a new range of specials at prices that have already been reduced but will be reduced even more for Haver members. FOR THE second consecutive season, television personality Rodrigo Gonzales will be the presenter for Segal Menswear, one of the more popular Tel Aviv outlets for men who want to be well-suited. Gonzales will receive $20,000 for showing the world how good he looks in a suit or in some of Segal's more casual apparel. Gonzales was photographed for catalogues, the print media and the Internet in solo shots and alongside international model Eva Don. MEMBERS OF the general public who are asked to contribute to Variety, the organization that cares for children with special needs, usually do so by purchasing a Variety pin in the shape of a heart at their local supermarket. The price is so symbolic that when it's included with grocery purchases it's not even noticed. But today, Thursday, Variety is selling something more valuable than its little gold heart. It's selling a 10-milligram flacon of Angel Perfume by Thierry Mugler at public auction to which the leading socialites who live in the coastal plain have been invited. This is no ordinary bottle of Angel fragrance; it's a limited edition in which the perfume has been aged for 23 weeks in a cherrywood casket to give it a very special aroma. As it is, Angel has a captivating je ne sais quoi bouquet, but if this is extraordinary, the additional Angel offshoot is even more so. The starting price for this pure perfume is NIS 1,200, but organizers of the auction are certain that the final price will be much higher, not only because the women invited are all people of substance who have contributed generously to Variety in the past, but because there is more than a little brinkmanship involved in competing for a rare fragrance encased in a breathtaking bottle. THE NEW Hamashbir is embarking on a 10-day sale from June 11-21 in which all fashion goods including ladies, men's and children's wear will be sold at discounts of 50%, with members of the 365 Club receiving additional discounts of 5%. IF HAMASHBIR is dropping prices by 50%, the Givatayim Mall is going one better with discounts of up to 70% during a three day Top Sale frenzy from June 17-20. The clothing industry is going through a rough time in Israel, which explains why so many chains, malls and individual stores are having such huge sales so early in the season. Summer has barely arrived and it's going to be hot until at least mid-October, so there is no valid reason for trying to move so much stock in such a short time frame other than to try to put food on the table. AFTER A seven-year partnership with Isracard, through which he established the Shopping Club, David Azrieli, the man behind the malls, is severing his relations with Isracard in favor of Leumicard, with which he intends to initiate a similar operation. Last month Azrieli acquired 20% of Leumicard for NIS 360m.; understandably, he wants to make as much out of the investment as he can. THE IDEA of wearing recycled bicycle tires on your feet and having soles that curl up over your toes may not sound terribly appealing, but actually Dopies, the ecologically chic flip flops produced in London by Terra Plana and imported to Israel by Dr. Judy Fadlon, look much better on the foot than off it. They're also very comfortable and likely to produce serious competition for Crocs, which are less aesthetic. The fold-over sole, which fits between the big toe and the second toe, keeps the foot in place together with an adjustable strap positioned at the arch of the foot. Retailing at NIS 189, they are less expensive in Israel than abroad, come in a wide range of colors and are available in most sports shops.