U
niting historical past and cultural
present, London-based designer
Mary Katrantzou returned
to Greece, her birth country,
to stage her Wisdom Begins in
Wonder fashion show at the
Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, Athens.
Nearing sunset, guests including Tatiana Blahnik
and Sabine Getty, scaled the 60-metre cliff to
observe the floodlit spectacle, marking the first
time a Greek government has permitted such an
event at the historic landmark built in 440 BC.
The collection of intricately beaded and
fringed floor-length gowns paid homage to the
importance of Greek culture and truly lived up
to the spectacular setting. “I based each piece on
‘ideas’ that were born here in the 5th century
when the temple was built,” Mary told us backstage.
“From trigonometry, to physics and biology, to
theology,” she continued, before adding that the
word ‘idea’ was indeed invented in Greece.
Providing a suitably epic soundtrack was Greek
musician Vangelis, who won an Academy Award
for composing the music to 1981 filmChariots
Of Fire. “He is a genius and, in the truest sense,
a Renaissance man. I am blessed to be able to
call him my friend,” she told us.
Styling was down to fellow Greek Londoner
Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou, editor-in-chief
of10 Magazine. “She has pulled it off against
the odds and with no compromise. Each piece
is like couture that involved hours of work and
flying back and forth to Mumbai to check the
beading,” she told us backstage.
We meet Mary again at her north London HQ,
it’s her first day back in the UK since the show.
The gowns made it home to the capital before her
and she’s glad to be reunited with her designs.
“Here they are... they all look so nice,” she coos,
as she approaches one of the more intricate pieces.
Usually a regular on the London Fashion
Week schedule, the designer changed tack
by showing in Greece. It was not only to mark
brand Mary Katrantzou recently turning ten,
it was also dedicated to celebrating 30 years of
Elpida, a charity to help children with cancer
set up by Marianna, the wife of Greek shipping
magnate Vardis Vardinogiannis.
“Marianna contacted me because she was
organising many cultural events throughout
the year. I already knew of the charity, but what
I didn’t realise was they receive 80 per cent
of child cancer cases in Greece, almost 300
a year, and three out of four children go into
full remission. I was in tears when I visited the
hospital,” she says welling up, even now.
“When planning the show, I put everything
into perspective and realised I wanted to do HELLOFASHION.COM 49
hfm FASHIONINSIDER
U
niting historical past and cultural
present, London-based designer
Mary Katrantzou returned
to Greece, her birth country,
to stage her Wisdom Begins in
Wonder fashion show at the
Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, Athens.
Nearing sunset, guests including Tatiana Blahnik
and Sabine Getty, scaled the 60-metre cliff to
observe the floodlit spectacle, marking the first
time a Greek government has permitted such an
event at the historic landmark built in 440 BC.
The collection of intricately beaded and
fringed floor-length gowns paid homage to the
importance of Greek culture and truly lived up
to the spectacular setting. “I based each piece on
‘ideas’ that were born here in the 5th century
when the temple was built,” Mary told us backstage.
“From trigonometry, to physics and biology, to
theology,” she continued, before adding that the
word ‘idea’ was indeed invented in Greece.
Providing a suitably epic soundtrack was Greek
musician Vangelis, who won an Academy Award
for composing the music to 1981 filmChariots
Of Fire. “He is a genius and, in the truest sense,
a Renaissance man. I am blessed to be able to
call him my friend,” she told us.
Styling was down to fellow Greek Londoner
Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou, editor-in-chief
of10 Magazine. “She has pulled it off against
the odds and with no compromise. Each piece
is like couture that involved hours of work and
flying back and forth to Mumbai to check the
beading,” she told us backstage.
We meet Mary again at her north London HQ,
it’s her first day back in the UK since the show.
The gowns made it home to the capital before her
and she’s glad to be reunited with her designs.
“Here they are... they all look so nice,” she coos,
as she approaches one of the more intricate pieces.
Usually a regular on the London Fashion
Week schedule, the designer changed tack
by showing in Greece. It was not only to mark
brand Mary Katrantzou recently turning ten,
it was also dedicated to celebrating 30 years of
Elpida, a charity to help children with cancer
set up by Marianna, the wife of Greek shipping
magnate Vardis Vardinogiannis.
“Marianna contacted me because she was
organising many cultural events throughout
the year. I already knew of the charity, but what
I didn’t realise was they receive 80 per cent
of child cancer cases in Greece, almost 300
a year, and three out of four children go into
full remission. I was in tears when I visited the
hospital,” she says welling up, even now.
“When planning the show, I put everything
into perspective and realised I wanted to do HELLOFASHION.COM 49
hfm FASHIONINSIDER