Dynamic Duo: Mira & Lihi Zwillinger

INTERVIEW BY ELIZABETH SWANSON

Some of Lihi’s first memories are traveling to Paris and Milan with her mother, Mira, to source fabrics. “I walked with her for hours upon hours helping her choose lace, materials, buttons,” Lihi says. “I grew to love and appreciate the couture world.”

Even so, it wasn’t a given that she’d join her mother’s atelier one day. She intended to study industrial engineering and management, or perhaps law. (Computer science and math were her main interests in high school.) On her way to the enrollment office, however, she passed a textile room that made her think twice. With a little push from her sister, she dove head first into fashion. “After that I knew I belonged at Mom’s side,” Lihi says, “but it was important to me to gain experience at other companies first.” 

Mira Zwillinger opened her eveningwear atelier in 1991 in Tel Aviv. Nine years ago, when Lihi joined the company, they expanded globally and became a wedding-dress brand. Their first collaboration was Lihi’s own wedding dress. She couldn’t find one that suited her, so she sketched it herself. Thanks to her previous experience in streetwear design, Lihi’s approach to bridal was new and fresh, Mira says. “But mom didn’t like it at first—it was very different from what was being made at the time,” Lihi says. After a month of back and forth, they completed the design, and it ended up being their first best-seller. That dress (fittingly called the Lihi) is a sleeveless, soft A-line gown with an embroidered, floral illusion bodice—elegant, but effortlessly so.

Mira and Lihi are equally involved in every step of the design process. Whatever the source of inspiration—whether a song, a painting, even a thought—their collections always evoke notions of a modern-day fairytale. They love being imaginative together, Mira says, and feel fortunate to have each other to depend upon. Both are perfectionists with a penchant for detail. “We don’t disagree often, but when we do, we make up quickly, and the resulting gowns are often the most stunning,” Mira says.   

Their relationship has only deepened since Lihi joined the brand. “My husband laughs at me quite often when Mom calls me after work,” Lihi says. “He’s like, ‘you just spent all day together—what else could you possibly have to talk about?’ But we do, we talk 15 to 20 times a day,” Lihi says. Lihi can attest to the fact that, whether in the office or outside of it, a mom never stops being a mom. “Having her look after me is a great perk of working together. She always makes sure I eat,” Lihi says. “And it’s just fun to have her with me all of the time.”

Mira feels the same—along with a great pride in watching Lihi work. “I get to see my creative and talented daughter rise more each day,” Mira says. “She is a strong woman who always sticks to her guns—as am I, which can sometimes bring conflict. But we’ve learned how to turn that into a good thing, which always ends with amazing results, and which only makes our bond stronger.”