If you thought a reversible jacket was versatile, just imagine a shirt that can be worn up to 24 different ways.
It’s called Morf, and it is the creation of Tel Aviv fashion designer Tamara Salem.
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Protected by a US patent, Morf shirts (three color collections for women, one for men) and a Morf dress feature a double-layer construction that allows for dramatic changes of color, pattern and cut from a single garment without any Velcro, buttons, zippers or ties. Just flip it around and/or roll up the sleeves, and voila! You’ve got a different look.
Launched on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform in April last year, Morf raised 524 percent of its goal, attracting $131, 089 from 1, 788 backers. The garments are currently sold on the Morf website and on Amazon, but judging by the worldwide buzz they’ve created among fashion bloggers, it probably won’t be long before you can find them in stores.
Salem tells ISRAEL21c that a children’s line and a travel line are planned next, though many customers already find Morf ideal for packing since the clothing is made of non-wrinkle, lightweight cotton with a touch of Elastane. And, of course, one shirt can take the place of many in your suitcase.
Fashion design was a second career for Salem, who followed up her military service at the IDF radio station by becoming a TV content editor and director.
“Fashion was always a hobby of mine, ” says the mother of two young boys. “I bought a sewing machine about seven years ago and started experimenting at home, and one of those experiments was a gift for my best friend’s birthday. It was a white and black shirt that could be worn backwards and forwards.
“At first, I was not aware of all the possibilities the construction suggested. Once I figured out that it had many, many more possibilities, I decided to develop the concept of multi-reversible shirts.”
This was the concept that morphed into Morf. It took five years to win the patent, during which time Salem left her TV job, earned a degree in fashion design and took on a business partner, Barak Kirschner. She opened a studio in Tel Aviv, where she makes eveningwear under an eponymous label.
Salem says she was surprised to see where the early orders from Kickstarter were coming from. Though the majority of customers are in the United States, she filled orders from people on five continents. Because she needed to mass-produce the shirts and dresses, she took production offshore to a clothing factory in Turkey.
“There are other multifunctional items of clothing, but most of them don’t offer this variety and require either strips or buttons or zippers, while with Morf there is nothing special you have to do to change the look, ” says Salem.
