Time for more Greek fashion at Zappeion
Just as the globe-trotting world of fashion is catching its breath following exhausting weeks of endless catwalk parading in New York, London, Milan and Paris, Athens is coming up next. Let there be no confusion here. The Greek capital has no pretensions of competing with the Big Four, but rather to slowly and steadily find its own place under the big bright sun of style. For the fifth time in its history, local fashion unites for the Diners Athens Collections InStyle, scheduled to take place at the Zappeion Hall from March 15 to March 18. Covering fall-winter 2007-2008, the event once more presents an international flair featuring collections by 10 French designers as well as Romanian-born, Cyprus-based Ramona Filip and Georgian Avtandil – the latter’s show proved to be a major hit in the previous edition. Once again the event is being organized by the Hellenic Fashion Designers Association (HFD), in collaboration with Imako Media and the generous support of Citibank’s Diners Club, who is acting as principal sponsor. The Athens Collections will unfold under the aegis of the City of Athens, the Ministry of Development and design center ELKEDE. The designers The following designers and designer houses are preparing for next week’s shows: Andria, Angelos Bratis, Aslanis, Celia Dragounis, Chara Lembessi, Christos Costarellos, Christos Maillis, Costas Faliakos, Daphne Valente, Deux Hommes, Dimitris Dassios, Erifilli, Elina Lembessi, Filep Motwary, Katerina Alexandraki, Kathy Heyndels, Konstantinos, Liana Camba, Loukia, Makis Tselios, Maria Mastori, MI-RO, Nikolas, Nikos-Takis, Parthenis, Simeoni, Smaragdi, Vassilios Kostetsos, Vassilis Zoulias-Old Athens, Vasso Consola, Veloudakis, Yiorgos Eleftheriades, Pavlos Kyriakides and Yiannos Xenis. Complementing the list are two new HFD members: Frida Karadima and 2B. The fifth edition of the Diners Athens Collections InStyle is also showcasing local apparel production with companies Lucifair, Giannetos and Miss Denim. At the same time, the following shoe manufacturers are collaborating with designers and designer houses for the upcoming collections: Vavoulas, Boss Shoes, Dolphin, Donna Di Gio, GRT Donna Trendy, Ioannou, JB Bournazos, Vergina, Texter, Danos, Kricket, Rollini and Tsakiris Mallas. The road so far What has Greek fashion week achieved so far? Not much, critics say. But there have been some subtle changes, such as a sense of unity in a long-suffering field; the chance for designers – rising and established – to present their work to a broader public, including fashion professionals; the need to produce collections in accordance with the international fashion calendar; opportunities for designers to participate in fashion events outside Greece (various designers have so far participated at prestigious international salons such as Pret-A-Porter Paris and Tranoi, among others); networking and coming up with ways to collaborate with other members of the local industry, including apparel and shoe companies; and developing and strengthening ties with both the public and the private sector. Another feature of the upcoming fashion week is a professional showroom where designers hope to generate some kind of business with local and international buyers. Showrooms have been organized twice in the past, but results up to now have been rather disappointing. Besides the catwalk shows (which are by invitation only) visitors to the Zappeion will savor «Paper Delic,» an exhibition of disposable paper dresses from the Atopos collection, sponsored by Smirnoff North and InStyle magazine. The show is curated by Vassilis Zidianakis, the mastermind behind «RRRIPP!! Paper Fashion,» an exciting show on display at the Benaki Museum’s Pireos Street annex until April 7.
