Cyprus, my birthplace, was heavily traumatized by the war of 1974; I was born just three years after it happened. My mother was a seamstress, so in a way my whole life I’ve been surrounded by clothes, fittings, fabrics, magazines and sewing machines. From the age of 11-12 onwards, and through television, I discovered there was an industry out there that took clothes very seriously. It was the moment when I realized there were designers with a name and signature, magazines, models, stylists and photographers who shaped the global trends along with the presence of a fashion system as a whole. And also beautiful women, so many beautiful women!
By a prosperous mistake, I ended up in Greece and found myself working for two prestigious magazine titles, almost simultaneously, having to carry all these clothes to the photo shoots, dress the models, check that every detail was right for the stylist I was assisting and ready for the photograph to be taken. There was no way to see the collections online or a showroom to “re-see” them. We had to visit the boutiques, collect the pieces. We had to be very careful while working with the clothes not to stain or damage them. Then came my move to Paris and somehow it felt like a coveted invitation for being in the right place at the right time. I had been interested in couture –Ferré and YSL, Westwood, Gaultier or Chanel– since my teenage years, yet there was longing and much of imagination before I finally laid hands on any of these high-end brands, saw the details on a garment or knew the difference between a Chantilly and a Guipure lace…
Fashion does not interest me for products like the IT-bag or the substance of logo print and how celebrities wear it. It is a much deeper and personal understanding, I guess, appreciated in silence. At moments my interest focuses on certain aspects: some glimpses of historical significance, anthropology, the differences of gender and sociology, creativity or talent. But I am hardly an academic as I would like to be. The hierarchy of fashion interests me deeply.