Creator Spotlight: TRES, fashion label

Three isn’t just a number for Tel Aviv fashion designer Noy Goz. She met fellow designers Noa Gur and Dafna Rubin at Shenkar Fashion Design School. Following their 2012 graduation, they worked for different brands, but in 2014, these three women decided to work together and create their first collection.

And they named their brand TRES, which means three in Spanish. Since then, this threesome has developed their women’s fashion label with their brick-and-mortar in Tel Aviv and has earned international accolades, including being named a Maison Mode Méditerranée laureate.

At Ichtus Magazine, we wanted to learn more about the founders of TRES, their proudest achievements and their thoughts on spirituality. We chatted with Noy about all things TRES and working together as three friends and former classmates.

Ichtus Magazine
Tell me about the start of TRES and how you, Noa and Dafna decided to launch the brand.

Noy Goz

Sure. We all studied together in Shenkar, and you can say that we “kind of ” designed each one of our graduation projects together. We were friends, and we knew we worked well together.

After graduation in 2012, each of us worked with different designers in Israel, and in 2014, we started working together.

I must say that we didn’t decide on launching a brand. We had a talk about making clothes. We knew it’s hard, and it’s going to take some time, so we might as well start. And so we did. We did our first capsule collection for spring 2014, and it was about 7 or 8 pieces made of Italian fabrics in two colors. We launched it in the weirdest spaces in downtown Tel Aviv, but every sale we had, we ended up selling everything.

Ichtus Magazine
Tell us more about your time studying fashion at Shenkar.

Noy Goz

Going to Shenkar was probably one of the best things we could do for ourselves at the time.

To study with a group of talented people that, in our case, were our friends was very rewarding and competitive in the best way you can think of.

I think we also learned about the importance of working in teams and the ability to take criticism but also to stand up for yourself and your project and to realize that you are the artist behind every work you do.

Ichtus Magazine
Tell us about your friendship between the three of you.

Noy Goz

First of all, we are best friends, sisters. We are all women and mothers. We literally have no time for egos.

Ichtus Magazine
What do you like to do when you’re not doing TRES-related work?

Noy Goz

I don’t think you can say that there is a time that isn’t TRES-related work. Our work is our life. TRES is our friendship; it’s our love and our crush.

Everything is mixed and everything is open. We believe in good and open communication; none of us is afraid to say anything about anything. We actually went on a few trips abroad together, but we wish we can do it a lot more.

Ichtus Magazine
How do the three of you divide up work?

Noy Goz

We are all fashion designers, which means we design together. It always starts from an idea or a feeling about a specific garment for the next season. We have a discussion on it and make the first sample. Usually after doing a few rounds, if we all three love it, it’s a sure bet.

Other than designing, each one of us has her own department. Noa oversees business development and strategies. Dafna is in charge of production and operation. And I am the creative director and handle marketing and media.

Ichtus Magazine
We saw that your company was chosen as a laureate for the OpenMyMed Prize by Maison Mode Méditerranée.

Noy Goz

This was an incredible experience.

I think it was the first time since we started our brand that we had a chance to think and dive deeper about our brand and what it is all about and not just to do it.

We met some great talent from all around the Mediterranean, and we were surprised how alike we all were. We had the same temper and the same vibe.

Marseille was very inspiring to us. It reminds us a little bit of Tel Aviv as a resort and beach city, but it was as beautiful as Paris and very European. We had a collection later that year that was inspired by Marseille.

Ichtus Magazine
In September 2017, you opened your first concept store in downtown Tel Aviv. Tell us more about your concept store.

Noy Goz

Our store is our home. Our studio is in the back, which makes the whole experience for our customers personal and welcoming. This store is also a home for our favorite local talents like ceramics by Avi Ben Shoshan, jewelry by Born from Rock and Sapir Bachar and cosmetics by Kā Aromatherapy, Vos and Ama Lurra.

Ichtus Magazine
How do you incorporate spirituality into your work?

Noy Goz

Design is all about energy. I feel that this energy ,and our group design process is very unique and fulfilling.

As a fashion designer, you constantly design for the future. You constantly think and feel what it’s going to be next, and I don’t think you can do your job right without being a spiritual person. We feel and dream a lot, and our communication is beyond words.

Ichtus Magazine
Best business advice?

Noy Goz

Start small. Grow organically. Work in teams.

Ichtus Magazine
What is your proudest moment or achievement with TRES?

Noy Goz

Wow, that’s a hard one. Professionally I believe our biggest achievement was and is our ongoing collaboration with : Story, a local multi brand store.

It was back in 2020, at the peak of Covid-19 — you can call that “bad timing” — we launched a denim and knits collection, and it was one of our biggest achievements in terms of growing our brand bigger and its awareness among new customers and new cities.

Personally, I think that our runway show back in March 2017, as a part of the young designer fashion show in Tel Aviv Fashion Week, was a moment that we will never forget. You can watch it here :