Greek designers to show at Paris salon
Greek design is set to make its mark at the upcoming Pret A Porter Paris salon next week, as three Greek fashion houses have been invited to present catwalk collections during the leading fashion trade fair scheduled to take place from February 2-5. Thessaloniki-born and Paris-based Ioannis Guia, designer duo Deux Hommes, and Yiorgos Eleftheriades will show their offerings for the fall-winter 2006-2007 season on February 2 and 4. «This invitation comes as a confirmation of the existence of Greek fashion,» said Eleftheriades, who enjoys a regular presence in showrooms in Paris and Milan. Acting as a curtain raiser, Pret A Porter Paris precedes international catwalk shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris, which begin in late February and end in March. Celebrating its 100th edition last September, the fair’s figures included 1,054 exhibitors, 1,500 brands, 1,100 journalists and no fewer than 43,000 visitors. This year’s Greek participation follows that of other countries, such as Brazil, since each time, a select and limited group of designers from a specific country are invited to show. The Greek connection this year was established after a visit by Herve Huchet, the salon’s managing director, who assisted in the second edition of Greek fashion week, the Athens Collections, in October. «It’s really exciting to actually show before everybody else,» said Grigoris Triantafyllou, of Deux Hommes, referring to the salon’s avant-premiere character. Equally exciting is witnessing local fashion making promising steps ahead. «There is an increasing amount of interest and the Athens Collections have played a part in this,» added Triantafyllou, noting that in the last two seasons, Greek fashion shows have been a regular fixture in publications such as Collezioni, for instance, thus putting local fashion on the international map. The establishment of the Hellenic Fashion Designers Association in 2003 led to the foundation of the Athens Collections last year. The first round of shows drew seven journalists from abroad; at the time of the second edition last October, however, the number of foreign press and buyers had grown to about 30. What do Greek designers going to Paris next week hope to achieve? «On the professional level, we hope to come into contact with members of the international press and get feedback from them, as well as to get acquainted with fashion professionals from showrooms and press offices from around the world,» said Dimitris Alexakis of Deux Hommes. «We worked on this particular collection like we always do, irrespective of the fact that it will be viewed by an international audience. No matter where you’re showing, you are creating a story and you have to see it in your own light.»
