Peers honor Sophia Kokosalaki
A rare thing happened in the world of Greek fashion recently. For the first time since its establishment in 2003, the Hellenic Fashion Designers Association officially honored a fellow colleague. Not a member of the organization itself, not a retired or defunct veteran, but a designer standing on global fashion’s front line. Sophia Kokosalaki was feted by her peers in mid-March and the London-based designer came to Athens to support the Greek fashion body and its efforts. As low-profile as ever, Kokosalaki picked up her award at the opening gala of the Diners Athens Collections InStyle held at Zappeion Hall, where an installation of 12 of her elaborate garments went on display for the duration of the fashion week. A member of fashion’s influential elite, Kokosalaki’s work is not particularly well known in this country, though as a member of the creative team headed by Dimitris Papaioannou, she designed garments for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Athens 2004 Olympics. «It’s very nice to be honored in your own country, it’s a very rare thing, and in this case, it’s a particularly difficult field with no comparison of success levels, like in sports, for instance, where no one doubts a gold or silver medal. So, naturally, I couldn’t refuse the invitation,» said Kokosalaki to Kathimerini English Edition, during an interview in Athens. A close follower of Greek current fashion affairs – Kokosalaki enjoys reading Greek publications in general – it was the first time the designer had attended the Athens Collections. «It’s very well organized, and they are inviting the right people from abroad,» noted the designer. «I think that what they need to do now is impose stricter criteria, something which is very hard to do, because you can’t come and say, ‘You can show and you can’t.’ And the truth is that all countries hosting fashion weeks offer this kind of variety. And as far as the Athens Collections go, I saw a lot of new-generation names.» According to Kokosalaki, the Athens event has managed to raise international awareness with an increasing number of fashion folk acknowledging the existence of a Greek fashion week. The challenge now, she says, is for local talent to offer something exciting and new on the design level, so that foreign buyers and press keep coming back. «Greek fashion could become a business. The problem is that, generally speaking, most Greek fashion designers are working on pret-a-porter deluxe, while ready-to-wear is left to the manufacturing companies producing in mass. These designers are obliged to work on dresses and deluxe ready-to-wear because that’s the only way for them to survive,» said Kokosalaki. «That is the reason why I left Greece, not so much to study at Central Saint Martins. I thought that I if I wanted to set up a business here, the number of outlets able to support the production were no more than five. When I realized how few clients there were and there was no way I could export, I knew that I had only two options: Stay and develop a private clientele or leave. At the time, no one was willing to address this issue.» Moving to London changed Kokosalaki’s point of view on all levels, ranging from aesthetics to creative challenges and business perspectives. The designer established her own brand by setting up her business, began showing her collections during London Fashion Week, and developed her own network of buyers and press. Two years ago, she decided to move her catwalk shows to Paris. «In Paris you don’t only face independent designers but huge companies and groups as well as lots of French talent. And I have to fight for my spot on the calendar with the French Fashion Federation,» she said. The French capital has proved a positive move, as more buyers and press attend the shows, compared to London. At the same time, the designer has made changes in her production line, with different parts of garments made in different places around the globe. «The business is growing and I’m running after it,» said Kokosalaki. «If you can stand on your feet in Paris, then you can stand anywhere.» Two years ago, rumor had it that Kokosalaki was one of a handful of candidates being interviewed for the slot of designer at the house of Givenchy – a position eventually filled by a fellow Saint Martins graduate, Riccardo Tisci. More rumors surfaced recently, this time about the possibility of reviving the fashion house of legendary Madeleine Vionnet, with Kokosalaki at the designing helm. In Athens, the designer maintained a «no comment» stance. Meanwhile, in a fiercely competitive industry dominated by mega-brands, the Greek-born designer is developing her own small yet serious label. «What I’m really after is presenting interesting shows, offering a direction. That’s where my power lies at this point. Showing things which might be influential, that others might follow.» How does running a business affect the design? «You’re competing against people such as Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga or Olivier Theyskens at Rochas. I don’t think these guys have to pick up their phone for payments. When I have to generate income, I’m left with one month prior to the show. They have six months. I think that I’d have a lot of potential if I solved the business side, but for the time being this remains a kind of utopia.» Still operating without a financial backer, Kokosalaki is constantly on the go, foreseeing problems, overseeing a growing staff and organizing hugely expensive shows in Paris. «When you’re independent you don’t depend on anyone. To enter into a partnership it would have to be the best possible option, in order to give up the majority of the company, for instance,» she said. «It might become a need in the future, for the next step, which would be to have a large presence in the market.» For the time being, the next step is a larger presence in the accessories department. Having signed a deal for a sunglasses collection, she is looking into the possibility of launching a bag collection – a move whose success largely depends on proper distribution and marketing. At the same time she has a consulting role at Nine West, for a small-scale accessories line distributed in New York at stores such as Macy’s. Despite all the hard work, fashion remains at the core of the designer’s work. And she’s still having fun with it. «I’m always happy, even in the middle of problems and accidents. It doesn’t matter because I’m doing what I love and it’s going well,» she said. «There’s an endless creative anxiety involved; perhaps someone not familiar with fashion might think that it’s commerce, not art, but there’s a very difficult, hard-to-grasp semiotics in fashion. When I’m working on a collection I find myself looking at a lapel, a collar, a button. It’s like searching for words when you’re working on a text, words can break it or make it. You think, ‘Is this flattering, would women wear it, what kind of references does it have, does it work?’ And this is just a garment we’re talking about.» Still considered a Greek designer abroad, Kokosalaki accepts the definition, though without necessarily agreeing. «I think the fact that I work on pleats is pure coincidence. I enjoy doing things by hand, working on the mannequin, and this has nothing to do with the fact that I’m Greek, but more to do with the fact that I could have been a sculptor. It’s just a diabolical coincidence.» A fashion resume Born in Athens in 1972, Sophia Kokosalaki studied Greek and English literature at the University of Athens before moving to London, where she graduated with an MA in womenswear from the venerable Central Saint Martins fashion college. The young designer decided to develop her career in London, showing her debut off-calendar collection in 1999 and her first on-schedule show during London Fashion Week the following year. The same year Kokosalaki was contracted by Italian leather fashion house Ruffo Research to design both womenswear and menswear for a year, while launching her own menswear label. A year later she collaborated with Britain’s Top Shop and earned the Best New Designer award at the Elle Awards. In 2002, she received the Art Foundation Award for Fashion, launched a shoe line and was appointed designer for costumes for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Olympics. She was voted as one of UK’s «Cool Brand Leaders in 2004,» the same year Kokosalaki also made her debut in Paris. She has showed her collections in the French fashion capital ever since.
