In a world where fashion and faith often seem at odds, one Queens woman is proving they can coexist—and even thrive together.
Kew Gardens Hills resident Tobi Rubinstein has obtained immense success in merging her devout Orthodox Jewish religious beliefs and her deep love for fashion.
For as long as she can remember, Rubinstein has been interested in fashion. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish household, she put in a lot of effort to navigate her love of fashion and the industry while keeping in practice with her faith.
Rubinstein’s career in the fashion industry began with being recruited by an exclusive manufacturer for Victoria’s Secret and J.C. Penney. She would then go on to develop children’s wear before developing an active wear line for Crunch Fitness. Eventually, in 2001, she and her partners founded the men’s urban brand “Chedda,” which was designed specifically for K-Mart.
“As I became stronger in the fashion industry and stronger in my faith, I took it as a calling to find a way to fuse them together,” Rubinstein said. “I built a very unusual space, where God meets couture, because God is the first couturier, and that starts all the way in the Bible in Genesis. Designers, since the beginning of time, have been trying to duplicate what God has done. It’s a way of honoring the creator in the most fashionable way.”
In addition to being a fashion designer, Rubinstein is also an accomplished author, having written the “The House of Faith and Fashion” book series. The two books, “The House of Faith and Fashion: What my wardrobe taught me about G_d” and “Haute and Holy: The House of Faith and Fashion 2,” are comprised of a series of essays and conversations that fuse together the titular topics of religion and fashion. The main goal Rubinstein hopes to convey in these books is revealing a presence of God in fashion, jewelry, beauty and lifestyle.
Rubinstein said the House of Faith and Fashion, which originally began as a weekly column in a local newspaper, was created from a fusion of her love of fashion and her increased study of Judaism. She felt a need to write down her thoughts in these essays after being diagnosed with cancer about five years ago.
“When I wrote my first book, ‘The House of Faith and Fashion: What my wardrobe taught me about G_d,’ I had no idea what I was doing,” Rubinstein said. “But when it came out, it resonated with Muslims, Jews, Christians and every denomination in between. I realized that I really sparked something. On one hand, it’s sold in a Judaic bookstore in Jerusalem. On the other hand, I’m coined ‘the fashion rabbi’ by the late Iris Apfel, who was a fashion icon, and also Fern Mallis, who is the godmother of New York Fashion Week. I knew that spectrum was so crazy that I really tapped into something.”
Both of Rubinstein’s House of Faith and Fashion books consist of essays compiled of stories between Haute couture and religion. She noted that the second book places a deeper emphasis on religions other than Judaism.
“I believe that, through fashion, you can learn about other people’s religions,” Rubinstein said. “Their practices and their faiths, whether they are the same or completely different. I think that maybe we can have a more serene, understanding, more beautiful world.”
Throughout her fashion career spanning over four decades, Rubinstein would also go on to become ordained and perform in-depth studies of Jewish thought and teachings, discovering meaning through this.
“I’m very proud of the fact that I have stayed in the fashion industry in one way or another, navigating from one part of the industry, starting with manufacturing, and then becoming a manufacturer on my own, then going into licensing, then going into production and now having the House of Faith and Fashion as my mission,” Rubinstein said. “I’m really proud of it, because the fashion industry could be a bit fickle and vain, and I’m actually proud of the fact that I learned how to navigate and pivot to each direction that interests me. I’m also proud that I’ve built the House of Faith and Fashion, which is such a unique place.”
She recently held her own TEDx event at St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. Titled “Faith and Fashion,” the discussion took attendees on a journey through the intersection of style, spirituality and identity. She highlighted how clothing can become a sacred language through anecdotes, spiritual insights and industry truths. Rubinstein emphasized that style can serve as a form of spiritual expression.
The fact that it was a Catholic university in St. Thomas University that was willing and able to host her TED Talk was not lost on Rubinstein. She said the university has championed her work, which is especially important to her because while she may not share all the same religious beliefs of most of the people running and attending the school, there are still commonalities between their faiths.
Rubinstein’s work also extends to philanthropic efforts. She has helped raise funds and provided board service for multiple charitable organizations, including Steven Spielberg’s Hearthland Foundation, Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Centre, Shaare Zedek Medical Center and OR Movement.
“If through fashion you can acknowledge God’s designs, then you will have elevated your wardrobe to divine status,” Rubinstein said. “And if through fashion you can have a relationship with your neighbor or somebody that is different from you or has a different faith than you, then you will have accomplished a better world. If you can do both, that is, have a relationship with God and a relationship with your neighbor, then you are officially red carpet-ready for the runway of life.”
