hfm FASHIONINSIDER
HELLOFASHION.COM 51hands of God now, so
thought I was being
let down gently. I was
so happy to see her
perform wearing it- she was owning the
dress, every moment,
every movement.”
Surprisingly, Mary fell
into fashion by accident
and growing up she
wasn’t really interested
in it – or clothes for
that matter. “But I was
very singular in my ideas and I was brought
up around design, because my mother was
an interior designer. I think that’s why
inspirations behind my earlier collections
were about design itself. I was filtering
beauty, through design, into fashion and
building it around a female figure.”
She originally opted for an architecture
degree course in Rhode Island, but then
came to London on an exchange program
and studied textile design at Central Saint
Martins. She ended up staying on and
completing the textiles and interiors BA
course. “When I finished my BA, I decided
to do my MA in fashion, so many of my
classmates during the degree course were
doing textiles for fashion. So, I felt it was
an interesting way to challenge myself.
I was very pleased I did,” she smiles.
She studied under the late Louise
Wilson, which she says was intense.
“It was like a bootcamp because that
was her teaching style. But slowly my
confidence grew, because I had been
so shy. I actually think criticism didn’t
break me down, it made me tougher.”
Her first collection, a little over ten
years ago, was entitled Woman In A Bottle. The dresses
had perfume bottles printed over them, almost like a
trompe-lÕoeil. Because I was new and naive, I didn’t think
differently, I thought I’d give it a go and see what
happened. And then when stores like Brown’s Fashion,
Colette and Barney’s started buying the first season – then
I realised it was very real. Naivety can be a good thing...”
Next for Mary is her wedding to the boyfriend she
moved to London for 17 years ago. “When I first moved
here, I hated it for three months because I had come
here to be with a guy, and he didn’t join me straight
away. I thought, what am I doing here?” she laughs.
But he was worth the wait and proposed to her last
year at Soho Farmhouse. She tells us he’s a professor
of neurology and also does clinical and research work.
Did he help with any of the equations? “No, he didn’t,”
she laughs, “because they were long in existence. But he
appreciates the idea behind it and I always show him my
work on paper at the start of a season.
“I remember he told me, ‘If you manage to pull this
collection off, it will be the most important one you have
done to date’. And whether it was important or not, it was
certainly the most personal, so far.”
something even more special for the cause. So that is
why I wanted it to take place in a landmark monument.”
The collection itself was also very special to her. “It was
important to me that it was not about all the dresses being
the same – it was about taking ideas that were born in
Greece when the temple was built and saying what would
that mean in terms of silhouette, technique and colour?”
Did it mean thinking back to school and sitting down
with a pen and paper to list the theories, we ask? “I feel
we did a crash course in education on ancient Greece,
but thankfully they are very universal ideas, so everyone
remembers Pythagoras theorem.
“And I think, because so many ideas were born at that
time, it was an incredible journey to see how relevant
some of these still are today,” she says, mentioning
the monochrome column gown that opened the show.
It carried a hand-applied fringe, bearing a bead-
embroidered quote from the work of Socrates, ‘The
only true knowledge is knowing that I know nothing’.
Mary Katrantzou’s designs are known for their colour,
print and a spirit, but she always personally chooses to wear
dark clothing. “I’ve worn black for a long time,” she laughs.
“When you put all your creativity and imagination into
your work, you almost need that palette-cleanser – so
you don’t have to put the same thought into yourself.”
Next, Mary will be selling the collection around the
world, which is also important to the business as it took
a financial risk skipping an entire season to dedicate
this show to Greece and the charity.
“We’ve already had women come
here to our office and try on the
collection and buy pieces. Selling this
way is a viable part of the business and
something I want to continue doing.
“We have seen that our client is
looking for something unique. And that
customer is willing to invest because
they appreciate the craftsmanship and
work that goes into the designs.”
Then there is the celebrity clientele.
“More and more I see people on the
red carpet wanting to take a stance and wear a piece that
communicates more than just being a pretty dress.
“For example, Cate Blanchett when she played the
role of president of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival
in 2018. She wanted to wear a piece as a reaction,
juxtapose to when women wore black [outfits] at The
Golden Globes in 2018 for the #metoo movement.
“So, this was her saying, ‘OK, that is one part of us, but
the other part is about embracing positivity, and something
that is exuberant and joyful and designed by a woman’.
“It was an incredibly heavy dress and one that we
designed together. She had an opinion on the flower
that was close to her face and what colour it would be.
So, fitting and getting to know her left me in awe of
the grace with which she communicated everything.”
Mary dressed Beyoncé at the Global Citizen Festival –
Mandela 100 in Johannesburg, South Africa. “We did
a piece that was inspired by Africa – all the countries of
Africa were part of her dress.
“I worked with her team of stylists but didn’t know
she was definitely going to wear it until it happened.
I kept asking when they were doing rehearsals, if they
were going OK. And I kept being told it was in the‘IT WAS
ABOUT
TAKING IDEAS
BORN IN
GREECE WHEN
THE TEMPLE
WAS BUILT’■hfmFASHIONINSIDERHELLOFASHION.COM 51handsofGodnow,so
thoughtI wasbeing
letdowngently.I was
sohappytoseeher
performwearingit- shewasowningthe
dress,everymoment,
everymovement.”
Surprisingly,Maryfell
intofashionbyaccident
andgrowingupshe
wasn’treallyinterested
init – orclothesfor
thatmatter.“ButI was
verysingularinmyideasandI wasbrought
uparounddesign,becausemymotherwas
aninteriordesigner.I thinkthat’swhy
inspirationsbehindmyearliercollections
wereaboutdesignitself.I wasfiltering
beauty,throughdesign,intofashionand
buildingit arounda femalefigure.”
Sheoriginallyoptedforanarchitecture
degreecourseinRhodeIsland,butthen
cametoLondononanexchangeprogram
andstudiedtextiledesignat CentralSaint
Martins.Sheendedupstayingonand
completingthetextilesandinteriorsBA
course. “WhenI finishedmyBA,I decided
todomyMAinfashion,somanyofmy
classmatesduringthedegreecoursewere
doingtextilesforfashion.So,I feltit was
aninterestingwaytochallengemyself.
I wasverypleasedI did,”shesmiles.
ShestudiedunderthelateLouise
Wilson,whichshesayswasintense.
“Itwaslikea bootcampbecausethat
washerteachingstyle.Butslowlymy
confidencegrew,becauseI hadbeen
soshy.I actuallythinkcriticismdidn’t
breakmedown,it mademetougher.”
Herfirstcollection,a littleoverten
yearsago,wasentitledWomanInA Bottle.Thedresses
hadperfumebottlesprintedoverthem,almostlikea
trompe-lÕoeil. BecauseI wasnewandnaive,I didn’tthink
differently,I thoughtI’dgiveit a goandseewhat
happened.AndthenwhenstoreslikeBrown’sFashion,
ColetteandBarney’sstartedbuyingthefirstseason– then
I realisedit wasveryreal. Naivetycanbea goodthing...”
NextforMaryis herweddingtotheboyfriendshe
movedtoLondonfor 17 yearsago.“WhenI firstmoved
here,I hatedit forthreemonthsbecauseI hadcome
heretobewitha guy,andhedidn’tjoinmestraight
away.I thought,whatamI doinghere?”shelaughs.
Buthewasworththewaitandproposedtoherlast
yearatSohoFarmhouse.Shetellsushe’sa professor
ofneurologyandalsodoesclinicalandresearchwork.
Didhehelpwithanyoftheequations?“No,hedidn’t,”
shelaughs,“becausetheywerelonginexistence.Buthe
appreciatestheideabehindit andI always show him my
workonpaperatthestartofa season.
“Irememberhetoldme,‘Ifyoumanagetopullthis
collectionoff,it willbethemostimportantoneyouhave
donetodate’.Andwhetherit wasimportant or not, it was
certainly the most personal, so far.”
somethingevenmorespecialforthecause.Sothatis
whyI wantedit totakeplaceina landmarkmonument.”
Thecollectionitselfwasalsoveryspecialtoher.“Itwas
importanttomethatit wasnotaboutallthedressesbeing
thesame– it wasabouttakingideasthatwerebornin
Greecewhenthetemplewasbuiltandsayingwhatwould
thatmeanintermsofsilhouette,techniqueandcolour?”
Didit meanthinkingbacktoschoolandsittingdown
witha penandpapertolistthetheories,weask?“I feel
wedida crashcourseineducationonancientGreece,
butthankfullytheyareveryuniversal ideas, so everyone
remembersPythagorastheorem.
“AndI think,becausesomanyideaswerebornatthat
time,it wasanincrediblejourneytoseehowrelevant
someofthesestillaretoday,”shesays,mentioning
themonochromecolumngownthatopenedtheshow.
It carrieda hand-appliedfringe,bearinga bead-
embroideredquotefromtheworkofSocrates,‘The
onlytrueknowledgeis knowingthatI knownothing’.
MaryKatrantzou’sdesignsareknownfortheircolour,
printanda spirit,butshealwayspersonallychoosestowear
darkclothing.“I’vewornblackfora longtime,”shelaughs.
“Whenyouputallyourcreativityandimaginationinto
yourwork,youalmostneedthatpalette-cleanser– so
youdon’thavetoputthesamethoughtintoyourself.”
Next,Marywillbesellingthecollectionaroundthe
world,whichis alsoimportanttothebusinessasit took
a financialriskskippinganentireseason to dedicate
thisshowtoGreeceandthecharity.
“We’vealreadyhadwomencome
heretoourofficeandtryonthe
collectionandbuypieces.Sellingthis
wayis a viablepartofthebusinessand
somethingI wanttocontinuedoing.
“Wehaveseenthatourclientis
lookingforsomethingunique.Andthat
customeris willingtoinvestbecause
theyappreciatethecraftsmanshipand
workthatgoesintothedesigns.”
Thenthereis thecelebrityclientele.
“MoreandmoreI seepeopleonthe
redcarpetwantingtotakea stanceandweara piecethat
communicatesmorethanjustbeinga prettydress.
“Forexample,CateBlanchettwhensheplayedthe
roleofpresidentofthejuryattheCannesFilmFestival
in2018.Shewantedtoweara pieceasa reaction,
juxtaposetowhenwomenworeblack[outfits]atThe
GoldenGlobesin 2018 forthe#metoomovement.
“So,thiswashersaying,‘OK,thatis onepartofus,but
theotherpartis aboutembracingpositivity,andsomething
thatis exuberantandjoyfulanddesignedbya woman’.
“Itwasanincrediblyheavydressandonethatwe
designedtogether.Shehadanopinionontheflower
thatwasclosetoherfaceandwhatcolourit wouldbe.
So,fittingandgettingtoknowherleftmeinaweof
thegracewithwhichshecommunicatedeverything.”
MarydressedBeyoncéattheGlobalCitizenFestival–
Mandela 100 inJohannesburg,SouthAfrica.“Wedid
a piecethatwasinspiredbyAfrica – all the countries of
Africawerepartofherdress.
“Iworkedwithherteamofstylistsbutdidn’tknow
shewasdefinitelygoingtowearit untilit happened.
I keptaskingwhentheyweredoingrehearsals,if they
were going OK. And I kept being told it was in the
‘IT WAS
ABOUT
TAKINGIDEAS
BORN IN
GREECEWHEN
THE TEMPLE
WAS BUILT’■