We call it our good luck flat – since we moved in, it seems everything has been possible,” says designer Mary Katrantzou, when asked to describe living in London. The Greek-born Central Saint Martins graduate, who started in fashion only four years ago, continues to develop her signature: hyper-realist prints—of perfume bottles, blown glass, 18th Century portraiture, interiors and most recently, objects d’art—coupled with experimental silhouettes. Meanwhile, fashion’s elite continues to crave her maximalist aesthetic – the counterpoint to Celine’s “Phoebe Philo effect” that captured the fashion scene two seasons ago.
“Rarely does a fashion audience get to witness the career of a designer move onto a whole new plane before its very eyes,” wrote Vogue.com’s Sarah Mower, describing the moment Katrantzou’s Fall 2011 collection took to the runway. Katrantzou ‘takes us inside’ the rooms she depicted for Spring 2011, imagining the lives of the women (Diana Vreeland, Babe Paley and The Duchess of Windsor) who could have lived there. The prints in this collection were derived from priceless objects d’ art: Faberge eggs, Coromandel screens, Meissen porcelain and Qianlong dynasty china. These luxurious prints pop when placed on peplum skirts inspired by voluminous post-war haute couture.
NM: Are you at all surprised by the commercial success you have had?
MK: It’s overwhelming to see it grow and receive such a positive response. My first collection consisted of eight shift dresses with prints of oversized jewelry. I didn’t expect any sales but it attracted amazing stores such as Colette, Browns and Penelope.
NM: How do you think technology, especially social media, has affected fashion?
MK: Most importantly, it creates a connecting link between designers and the end consumer. You get first-hand feedback of what people think about your work, and their opinion is what really matters in the end. It’s great to read comments and tweets from people in Brazil or China about my work and how it makes them feel, what they like or do not like. It’s really motivating and keeps us on top of our game.
NM: What made you decide to switch from architecture to fashion in your last year at Central Saint Martins?
MK: I started studying Architecture at Rhode Island School of Design, in the U.S. After my first year, I decided to do a semester abroad at Central Saint Martins. I wanted to learn more about textile design, so I transferred into the course and I loved it. It was only in my final year of the bachelor of arts degree that I decided to apply my prints in fashion. This then led to my admission [into the masters program] to study fashion. I always worked on engineered prints, and fashion allowed me to work in 3D form again.
NM: Describe your flat in London, the architecture and interior design.
MK: It’s a one-bedroom Georgian, terraced flat and the living room has a lovely bay window with a small balcony overlooking the garden, which is beautifully landscaped. It has hard wood floors and a minimal décor and it’s full of magazines that I’ve accumulated over the years. My partner and I have been living here for 8 years.
NM: How much of your design is a reaction to how and where you grew up in Greece?
MK: I haven’t been consciously inspired by Greece directly in the collections that I have designed, but it shaped me as a person, growing up. Athens is a beautiful city with a lot of history that can really form someone aesthetically. It certainly nurtured my appreciation of Classicism, and I attribute to my sense of symmetry, balance and my love for architecture to my Greek roots.
NM: How does your imagination wander when conceiving a collection and how do you tame it to create a stylish vision?
MK: It’s a creative process and ideas evolve and reform all the time. I don’t follow a certain method but I always look at filtered beauty in art and design. I work with my studio team to develop the prints, shapes, techniques and materials and we always try to achieve something new and unique. Jane How, our stylist, comes in to tame me when I go wild, sometimes to push me even further. It always changes and develops until a few hours before the show!
NM: Which designer or designers working today do you most admire?
MK: I love Miuccia Prada, Nicolas Ghesquiere, Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel. They really have helped form and challenge the boundaries of fashion. From the younger generation, in the U.S., I really admire what Proenza Schouler, Rodarte and Alexander Wang have achieved in such a short time.
NM: Describe your quintessential woman for the Fall collection.
MK: The Marchesa Luisa Casati. She once said: “I want to be a living work of art” and that is exactly what this collection encapsulates.
NM: The cultural references in your Autumn/Winter collection were so strong. The dress’ patterns reflected Faberge eggs, Chinese and Meissen porcelains, but the shapes lean futuristic. This is the ideal juxtaposition that, often times, is only created when designing a space’s interior. Do you think like this when you’re making clothes?
MK: It’s always a dual process; you have to think of the print and the shape simultaneously. A maximalist aesthetic inspires me because it allows me to put my signature on it and make it modern, by subverting it through fashion. Because of the classicism that is inherent in Faberge, Meissen porcelain and Qianlong Dynasty china, it was important to keep the silhouette modern. The excess of the objects of art found in an elitist home become more definitive on shapes that lean futuristic. It’s an interesting juxtaposition.
NM: Can you tell us something about your Spring/Summer 2012 collection?
MK: Without giving away too much, there is a contrast between industrial fabrication and the formal beauty found in nature. And of course, there will be print!
