A woman adjusting a black lace dress form mannequin on a white stand against a plain gray background.

About

Maya is a Fashion & Textile Designer and researcher working at the intersection of materials, technology, and the moving body.

She combine her expertise in engineered seamless knitting, computational design, and digital fabrication to create high-performance, functional products and innovative solutions in the textile and apparel industry.

Her industry experience includes leading advanced innovation concepts for global brands in the intimates, apparel and activewear categories while working within Delta Galil innovation team, specializing in the research and development of innovative design workflows, integrating 3D printing into apparel design, developing innovative solutions in engineered seamless knitting, and translating innovation projects into scalable commercial products. Her inventions led to four patent applications.

Today, Maya works independently while also working as a researcher at the Coded Matter Design Lab.

Her current focus is on integrating 3D printing into apparel, developing computationally designed 3D-printed textiles, and creating innovative digital design workflows.

Maya’s work has been presented in various exhibitions around the world such as Fashionclash Festival in The Netherlands, Expo Dubai in the UAE, Jerusalem design week, Fresh Paint Art Exhibition, and more, and has received international awards.

Maya design practice is deeply rooted in her lifelong background in movement and sports. She began practicing gymnastics and acrobatics at a young age, and later coached acrobatics groups for several years. In 2014, she discovered yoga, which became an essential part of her life as both a practitioner and a certified teacher.

Her curiosity about the human body has led her to continuously explore anatomy, biomechanics, movement, and performance. Much of her creative work is driven by the question of how design can support the body and enhance the way it moves and feels. Through this practice, she investigate how clothing and accessories can interact with the body to improve performance, mobility, and overall experience.

  • A performer in colorful, glow-in-the-dark outfit and makeup on stage, holding onto trapezes, in a dark setting with black background.

  • Two performers dressed in colorful, patterned costumes with head coverings are facing each other, holding hands, against a dark background.

  • Two people standing on stage during an event. The woman on the left wears a colorful, patterned outfit and headscarf, speaking into a microphone. The man on the right, with dark hair, is dressed in a light jacket and a red cap, smiling and holding a paper.

  • A woman performing a handstand on finger grips in a dark setting.

  • 3D printed footwear by maya kaplan. Global Footwear Awards winner

  • 3D printed footwear by maya kaplan.

  • Handstand shoes An anatomy-driven performance tool designed to protect the wrist and improve alignment, balance, and stability during handstands through 3D scanning, digital modeling, and additive manufacturing.

  • 3D printed shoes by maya kaplan, human marionette collection

  • Human marionette performance by maya kaplan, fashionclash festival 2022 the netherlands

Awards

Global footwear awards
Winner in the sports performance category

The Andy prize
Outstanding excellence in crafts

2023

2022

Excellence merit schollarship
America Israel Cultural Foundation

2022

Meisler Prize
Outstanding work in design

2022

Sustainable Design Award
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design

2022

GDCS Competition in collaboration with Gucci
Finalist

2022

Lockman Prize
Exellence in Applied Arts

2021

Academic Distinction Awards
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design

2019, 2021, 2022

Seen at

Black and white logo of the word 'designboom' in stylized lowercase letters.
Logo with the letters 'ARE' in a stylized font.
Logo with black stylized letters 'g', 'l', and 'r' over a red circle with a black outline, next to the text 'goodreads' in black.
Close-up of the word 'KREEP' in bold, white uppercase letters on a black background.
Cover of 33 Magazine with black background and bold white text reading '33 MAGAZINE'.
Text logo that reads 'la República' in black stylized font.
The logo of the UK newspaper 'Mirror' with white text on a red background.
Graphic with letter E in white, centered on a black circle background, with brown and black geometric shapes surrounding it.
The word 'Schön!' in bold black text.
A black circular logo with white lines forming the letter T and three parallel lines above it.
De Limburger logo with white text on a blue background
The text 'KALTBLUT' in large white block letters on a black background.
Close-up view of a dinosaur fossil resting in a display case in a museum.
L'Officiel magazine logo with black text on white background
Logo of the Virtual Shoe Museum with black background and white text
Text in Hebrew that reads 'פורטלפולי' with pink brackets on both sides.