Contemporary design meets traditional craftsmanship in the hand-woven textiles of Alexandra Bissa

Sometimes, our true calling comes to us unexpectedly. Such is the case with Zeus + Dione collaborator Aristides Tzonevrakis whose passion for traditional Greek dressmaking and embroidery was sparked when he encountered the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation’s folk costume collection. Eager to learn the art, he worked as an apprentice by the side of Kostas Gkikas, whose skills go back to the Ottoman-era Greek tailors who used to travel the land to sew and decorate their patrons’ costumes with their own embroideries, oftentimes staying in with them for up to one or two months.

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It’s commonly believed that folk culture is something parochial or purely encyclopedic than belongs to museums, a flawed assumption that Z+Δ has been creatively refuting since its inception by celebrating traditional crafts and craftsmanship through contemporary fashion and design. It’s always great to come across others like us who share our passion for showcasing Greek folk culture as is the case with twenty-four-year-old Petros Kaminiotis who is on a mission to showcase the fascinating complexity and wide variety of traditional Greek costumes in a creative and modern way.

Greek artist Christianna Economou has two great passions, Greek traditions and the sea, so it’s no surprise that her work encompasses both.

Swiss-born, London-based Cora Sheibani is not your typical jewellery designer, in fact, one might say she’s more of a quintessential artist. Working from her home in Kensington, where she lives with her husband, three children, two dogs, snake and goldfish, she designs one-off pieces which she showcases in galleries, fairs and private settings (not jewellery retail stores) across Europe and the USA. Her designs are oftentimes accompanied by bounded books showcasing her collections and the inspirations behind them.

In fashion, the most fascinating collections are the product of creative synergies. For proof, look no further than Zeus+Dione’s Spring-Summer 2021 collection, designed by the brand’s new creative director Marios Schwab. Known for his concept-driven approach, razor-sharp tailoring, and hand-finished details, the half-Greek, half-Austrian fashion designer has married the brand’s classical simplicity and passion for traditional craftsmanship with contemporary sophistication and subversive vigour.

Greek-French health coach Isabelle Razis knows first-hand how it feels to juggle family, career and a busy social life. As an expat living in Russia with her husband and three children since the early 2000s, she has been living way outside her comfort zone for some time. A corporate lawyer by profession, Isabelle is no stranger to dealing with pressure, and yet, taking care of her family while founding and managing her own real estate consultancy in a foreign country took its toll, physically and psychologically, as she explained to Z+D in a recent chat.

Angeliki Giannakidou is passionate about the cultural heritage of Thrace. Born in Macedonia, she moved to Alexandroupoli to attend university and never left, devoting her life to the study of the folk culture of Thrace. Her life-long relationship with the Thracian customs and traditions led Angeliki to establish in 2002 the Ethnological Museum of Thrace with a mission to safeguard the authenticity of Thrace’s culture as well as promote the individual and diverse expression of the ethnic groups of the wider region.

Of all the Greek craftspeople who Zeus + Dione collaborates with, none are as elusive as the women of Pomakohoria. Home to indigenous Turko-Slavic speaking Muslims, whose ethnic identity is a matter of debate even among themselves, the cluster of picturesque mountain villages in the north of Thrace is imbued with unspoilt bucolic charm not least because of its relative geographical and cultural isolation.