Batsheva was founded in New York City by dress maker, Batsheva Hay. The brand plays with American styles of feminine dress – from Victorian to Pioneer; from Housewife to Hippie – by taking elements symbolic of restraint and repression (high collars, voluminous sleeves, and skirts) and giving them a modern inflection. By retooling historical looks, they explore how to extract the strong and beautiful aspects of those styles while rejecting antiquated notions of womanhood.