Greek fashion week heads for seventh round
For the seventh consecutive fashion season, the Hellenic Fashion Designers Association (HFD) is organizing the Athens Collections InStyle, Greek fashion week. Under the auspices of the City of Athens, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Development with the InStyle fashion magazine acting as communication sponsor, the seventh edition of Greek fashion week showcases the collections for Fall-Winter 08/09. The runway shows will take place at Zappeion Hall from March 12 to March 16. French designer Chantal Thomass, a pioneer of glamorous, sensual lingerie, is the fashion week’s special guest star. Besides running her own brand, Thomass has also collaborated with Wolford and Victoria’s Secret. The association and its members have come a long way – creatively, of course, but also in their continuous efforts to keep the fashion week alive via state and private financial aid. While a variety of private sponsors continue their support, the event is counting on the help of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Development and Technology and design center ELKEDE. Also taking part in Greek fashion’s development is the Hellenic Foreign Trade Board. On the international front, buyers are expected from Italy, France, the Netherlands and Turkey as well as from Harvey Nichols Hong Kong. As for the international press coverage, participation includes fashion publications, websites and television channels from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Egypt, Russia and the United States. Participating at the 7th Athens Collections InStyle are the following Greek designers: Angelos Bratis, Andria, Aslanis, Chara Lebessi, Christos Costarellos, Costas Faliakos (by Christos Petridis), Daphne Valente, Dimitris Dassios, Deux Hommes, Fanny Voutsela, Filep Motwary, Frida Karadima, Katerinalexandraki, Katerina Karoussos, Kathy Heyndels, Konstantinos, Liana Camba, Loukia, Makis Tselios, Maria Mastori, Mi-Ro, Nikos-Takis, Parthenis, Simeoni, Smaragdi, Vassilios Kostetsos, Vassilis Zoulias, Vasso Consola, Victoria Kyriakides, Veloudakis, Yiannos Xenis and Yiorgos Eleftheriades. Over the seasons, a number of foreign designers have made Zappeion a catwalk destination. Participating this season are: Georgia’s Avtandil, Greek-Cypriots Afroditi Hera and Elena Antoniades (who is based in London) as well as Ramona Filip, the Romania-born designer based in Cyprus. Besides the runway, all participating designers will present their collections in a commercial exhibition area. Parallel events at Zappeion include photographic exhibitions by Mara Desypri and Stefanos Paschos. Greek fashion icon and photographer Desypri will showcase photographs from her recently published book «Self Portrait,» while Paschos will present «Nike,» a project inspired by the Athenian trireme, featuring actress Karyofilia Karabeti clad in Greek designer garments. In collaboration with the Goethe Institute and the Hellenic Foundation for Culture in Berlin, the Hellenic Fashion Designers Association is also organizing the Greek leg of a European young designers competition: «Create Europe: The Fashion Academy Award» will be bestowed in Berlin in October, in collaboration with EUNIC Berlin, an umbrella association uniting European institutes for culture. Twenty young designers are participating in the final phase of the Greek competition on Sunday, during which a judges panel will select three winners. In collaboration with the French Institute in Athens, the Athenian fashion marathon will end on high fashion note on Sunday night, with a screening of Rodolphe Marconi’s documentary «Karl Lagerfeld: Confidential.»
