KINGSTON, RI- Feb. 20, 2017 – As historians and fashion experts agree – fashion speaks volumes about the history of a nation and its society. This is a point that Liraz Cohen, a fashion designer and blogger from Israel, will illustrate during a talk and presentation at the University of Rhode Island on Wednesday, March 1 at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public, the event will be held in Quinn Hall Auditorium, 55 Lower College Road, Kingston Campus.

Cohen’s talk will take the audience on a journey through the decades of Israeli couture with the use of props, video, audio, still photography and live models. Cohen will discuss the influence of immigrants on Israeli fashion and the role that feminism and kibbutz life have played in creating a signature style.

Originally from Holon, Israel, Cohen studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She now lives in New York and has spoken at universities around the world on topics such as Israeli politics, religion, technology and fashion.

Megan Spindell, a senior Textile Merchandise and Design major, is excited for the opportunity to hear from a well-known fashion blogger. “I love Liraz’s blog Fashionating.  As a student aspiring to work in the fashion industry, I am most excited to hear her presentation on Israeli fashion and her life in Israel and New York City.”

The event is co-sponsored by the URI Hillel with support from the College of Business Administration’s Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design, the Fashion Merchandising Society, the Hinenu Department of Hillel International and the Israel Campus Roundtable.

For more information on this event or to volunteer to be a student model, contact Yaniv Havusha at yaniv_havusha@uri.edu.

This news release was written by public relations major Josephine Maida, who is an intern at URI Hillel. josephine_maida@my.uri.edu.