I’m from the beautiful island of Cyprus and, to be completely honest, fashion design was not always my primary career choice. Growing up, I was thinking I would be a lawyer, even though I have always taken art classes and was involved in the art scene on my island. It was when I served in the Cypriot Military that my desire to pursue fashion design was awakened. Then I got into Parsons and that’s how it all began.

Cyprus is my favourite place on Earth and I try to go back as much as possible. I have lived there for all my life before New York, so it’s inevitable for Cyprus to have a huge influence on my designs. Actually, next season is kind of completely inspired by my home country (laughs).

To be honest, I was always a big fan of movies and costume design. I really like the work of Eiko Ishioka and various other costume designers. Just the narrative that can be conveyed through garments is so fascinating to me.

Someone who is definitely not a trend-driven person, but is more likely to live on their own terms uninfluenced by societal expectations and guidelines. Someone who can take risks and can withhold power over the garments instead of the other way around.

I try to design clothes that I find beautiful and stay as honest to myself and to the aesthetics of the brand as possible. I do believe that the brand is definitely defying traditional western male attire and I am really proud to be a part of this dialogue that has started. I think we still have a long way to go but I see things changing so dramatically, which makes my heart burst into joy! I am a big fan of astrology and, as we have entered the years of Aquarius, I expect big changes to take place and rebellion to happen in various parts of our lives.

Working for such brands was very informative to me, as I got to see so many facets of the design process both in bigger and smaller fashion houses. Working for a brand requires you to design according to that brand’s identity, which can be restrictive, but that’s part of being a designer.

Every collection has a narrative and so did Fall/Winter 2018. I like to merge the fairy tale with the real through allegories that exist within our lives. Last season, I created a story that takes place in Florida. I built archetypical characters – the crocodile, the housewife and the pimp – and tried to have them interact with each other. I wanted to experiment with the meaning of social justice and how society is occasionally being hypocritical, therefore being the ‘crocodile tears’.

Totally. Movies are my pleasure, always a source of inspiration. 

The shapes always align with the concept of the collection. I do really want the brand to keep a romantic feeling.

Yes, embroideries are definitely a means that as a brand we use to capture the story. There will be more embroidery in the future, as I would definitely say it is part of the brand’s DNA. There is something very romantic and almost profound in the act of embroidery and its significance throughout history that I find fascinating. It’s almost like an ancient entity that withstood the passage of time.

Next season, I am incorporating canvases and raffia, and I am really curious to see how that will add to the general feeling of the collection.

Definitely. I want to produce a lot of our shoots as it allows me to have control of the brand’s visuals. There will be more shoots and films in the future. Collaborating with the right people is such an amazing way to explore new paths for the visual narrative of the brand.

I would love to dress Arca one day, as I believe that the garments juxtaposed to his performance would be a wonderful mix.

For now, I am good in New York, but I wouldn’t mind moving back to Europe in the future, as it is closer to home as well.

The collection will be inspired by my island. Cyprus’s name comes from the word ‘copper’, as the island in antiquity was famous for its copper resources. The collection will be an ode to the magnificent path of the country from the prehistoric times leading to its modern political condition.