Children of Zeus+Δione

“And now bright Aphrodite fell at the knees of her mother, Dione, who gathered her daughter into her arms' fold and stroked her with her hand and called her by name and spoke to her. ”Who now of the Ouranian gods, dear child, has done such things to you, rashly, as if you were caught doing something wicked? 

In Homer’s The Iliad, Aphrodite, wounded by mortal Diomedes in Troy, comes to her mother, the Titaness Dione on Olympos to be consoled and cured.  For being the child of gods is not easy, unless you are the goddess of eternal beauty, desire, procreation, and love. 

Fast forward almost three millennia and this is apt: not merely standing upon but rather evolving between myth and reality, Zeus’ and Dione’s divine union that produced Aphrodite according to Greek mythology still lives on. In Athens, Greece, the myth-making processes are revivified in the formula of a return to tradition as envisioned by the luxury Greek brand Zeus+Δione. Pioneers and Z+Δ founders Dimitra Kolotoura and Mareva Grabowski, masterfully turn Grecian folklore pieces, accessories and archetypal Greek concepts into contemporary statement design forms celebrating the Hellenic legacy of clean lines, symmetry, and soft silhouettes. Zeus+Δione designer Lydia Vousvouni presents the ultimate style statement for the impressive S/S 2014 collection: enchanting accessories, fashion forward garments and even design furniture that draws exclusively from the vast repository of the Hellenic heritage. Looking at the Z+Δ key traits, it’s as if this heritage has been radically redefined, with its best elements bravely reinterpreted.

Featuring enchanting handmade luxury products largely informed by the diachronic charm,  flawlessness, geometry and “unparalleled richness” of the Hellenic spirit is at the very heart of this newly established and highly acclaimed Greek design brand. What Zeus+Δione are performing is a radical encounter with Greek tradition and innovation at the same time. Unearthing textile techniques of modernity-meets-tradition craftsmanship and rare artisan skills that were either forgotten or long considered outmoded, Zeus+Δione do not just give a new breath of life to the Greek folk aesthetic: the inception is to deconstruct it from its foundations on novel, eclectic, innovatively crafted, ground-breaking territory. Refined thread processing, meticulous handmade trimmings and weaving, detailed embroidery, stunning hand crochets, silk yarns and looms from Soufli, skilled women embroidering from Attica, others weaving and stitching in Crete and Metsovo, Athenian silversmiths crafting minute details, premium materials and local craftsmen from the North to the South of Greece, all unanimously rebuild the Z+Δ mythic cosmos from scratch. This time round, the divine union might well be said to have given rise to a return to beauty, its preservation and its reimagining.

Zeus+Δione gains momentum also internationally as the Greek style powerhouse that bases its premises on tradition and innovation while creating bespoke contemporary Greek design of mythic proportions that is globally appealing. An epic endeavor and a myth in the making, the sublime Z+Δ creates a postmodern effortless minimalism of Doric proportions from Athens to Milan, Berlin, London, New York, Istanbul, as far as Riyadh.

Lovers of this Greek fashion revolution, the children of Zeus+Δione, will be easy to spot, ethereal, elegant, sophisticated, timeless, strolling around downtown Athens and the Greek islands this summer.  And if you find yourself in Ireland you might spot another loyal child of the almighty Zeus+Δione...

You can find Zeus+Δione here.

PS: My Zeus+Δione precious eye charm-pendant beholds the beauty of the Irish countryside. Enjoy the glimpses.