Chef and entrepreneur and now designer, Danielle Kitzis will launch a new campaign on Saturday, exhibiting her own designs while being pregnant and without removing any of her body's hair.
in cooperation with SilaWear, a textile company with a production line in northern Israel
Kitzis, in line with the growing trend of plus size, gender neutral and unusual models, will exhibit her wireless bra, in sizes ranging from XS to XL, produced by SilaWear, with a production line in northern Israel.
Her fame came during the COVID pandemic when she operated a popular food stall, gaining traction on Instagram with some 40,000 followers.
“I didn’t turn into a lingerie designer,” she says n an interview to promote her line, in a Tel Aviv fashion fair.
“My work has a lot to do with aesthetics, and I’ve been a woman for nearly 30 years, so I know about lingerie, whether I want to or not," she says. "Since I’m a very particular person, I have an opinion about everything. I can say exactly what I love about products: from bras to a cars,” She says.
“I have excellent partners, Daniel Hassan and Avner Yafa, who I’ve known for years. The whole thing started when my Instagram followers asked me about the type of bra I was wearing. I told Avner that if we both designed a bra, it would be a big success,” she says.
“I film myself making dough in a bra. I guess I symbolize something, like being comfortable in your skin, and it’s important to me that whatever I’m wearing is comfortable,” she says.
Cooperating with SilaWear, a textile company launched in 2017, Kitzis designed a wireless bralette which will cost 250 NIS. “Girls are always looking for ways to comfortably carry their breasts, it’s a never-ending search.” Kitzis explains.
“Girls wear bras as early as age 12 and throughout their lives. Bras are more complicated than other clothes, because the breasts change throughout the month. There are plenty of options out there, but it’s hard to find the right one. I designed a bra that isn’t restricting, and you can wear it at home all day. I want to make it fit as many girls as possible.” she says.
Kitzis decided to change the sizing method for bras. “I don’t know what double D mean, because I don’t buy wired bras,” she says. “I wanted the large size to be large, and not medium like in many other clothing stores. It’s very easy to make a bra for women with flat chests, but more complicated to make one to fit a fuller body without wires, but we did it.” Kitzis explained.
“Now that I’m pregnant and my bust grew, I understand it’s not an easy thing to manage.”
The campaign photos show the six-month pregnant Kitzis in her home in Tel Aviv, where she lives with her husband Gon Ben-Ari.
The photos are a part of a growing wave in lingerie campaigns that attempt to create intimacy and authenticity, presenting women of all ages without the use of photo-editing software.
Kitzis says that the initial shoot for the campaign was planned for before her pregnancy was noticeable, but that eventually everyone agreed that authenticity is the most important thing to show. “It’s the truth, this is life,” she says. “I’m happy with the photos. It’s an experience that I’ll hold onto forever,” she says.
“It was clear to me that I’ll be the one to promote the product. It’s important to me to be honest with my clients. I don’t sell lies. I don’t advertise products on Instagram. Every person who follows my Instagram believe me, and rightly so, because I tell the truth,” Kitsiz says.
She also gained notoriety for her choice to go against the acceptable standard of beauty and refrain from shaving her armpit. “It’s been a long time since someone said something about it. I’m over it,” She says, “I feel that I passed over that hurdle in my close community and people accept it now,” she says.
“I think it will work to empower more women. Armpit hair is a very natural thing. People shockingly ask me if I grow it out, but I don’t – I simply don’t shave it, she says.
"Taking my photos while I’m pregnant and have armpit hair delivers authenticity. In truth, men never cared about the hair.”