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