Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Occupation: Artist and designer.
Instagram: @kyriakiny
Hometown: Athens, Greece, and New York City.
Studio location: Hampton Bays, NY, and New York City.
Describe what you make: Luxury silk printed textiles.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: I like to think of the Kyriaki brand as a world, with each piece fitting together to tell a larger story, creating a place where women are honored and creativity is paramount, and where there are no limitations, only interconnectivity. The world is multi-faceted and includes fashion, art, and home—in the end, it’s not about a specific product, it’s a lifestyle. My most important design to date has been the inception of this creative space and the opportunity to support women in the process.
Describe the problem your work solves: I like to see my work as a solution to the mechanization and homogeneity we see in fashion. Each is its own unique piece of art, intended to celebrate women and identity. By wearing something that is part of oneself, we remove barriers that can often be limiting in favor of freedom of personal representation, eccentricity, and individualism.
Describe the project you are working on now: For fall, I’m working on a new collection, integrating new motifs and experimenting with new techniques. I’ve always been drawn to lace. I’m using it now as a textural element to add depth and mystery to the prints. It’s unexpected and has a surreal quality.
In addition to adding new designs and letters, I wanted to experiment with scale and introduce new sizes of the existing designers. We will soon be offering miniature versions of Collection 1. This new size is great for adding a decorative element to a look, adding it to a bag, in the hair, on the wrist. I have always played with proportion in my work (I even once did a collection of miniature paintings intended for meditation), so this is a continuation of that theme.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: I’ve always been inspired by the beauty of Japanese art, fabrics, and design; this has been a reference for my work as long as I can remember. I have collected kimonos since the early 1960s, both vintage and new, and loved their graceful shape and refined simplicity. The butterfly motif from Collection 1 was, in fact, intended to be a kimono initially rather than a scarf print.
We are now working on translating the current motifs as well as some new designers into kimonos. These will pay tribute to the original Japanese technique, adhering to traditional design elements and principles, and integrating Japanese kimono textiles sourced from Paris, with a few updates like the added element of personalization. It will be a true synergy of old and new. They’ll be available in November, just in time for the holidays.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Music is a must, especially classical. I often listen to symphonies as I work, which comes out in the curves of the figures, as if they’re dancing.
What you do when you’re not working: I love nature—walking along the beach or sitting on my porch of my studio and watching storms emerge across the sky. I love going to musical performances on the floating barge in New York where you feel the sea rise and fall as the musicians play. I read everything I can, but I especially love English mysteries.
Sources of creative envy: I am drawn to women artists, notably the late Venezuelan artist and visionary Luchita Hurtado. I marvel at her ability to engage the environment, language, and the body as feminist subjects. Aso her fortitude, only being recognized rather recently for her lifetime of work. The trailblazer Louise Nevelson, who used old wood and found objects to evoke the sacred in the everyday. Her sculptures are painted and evoke mystery, like hidden rooms, and dark corners, and retain a strong feminist spirit. George O’Keefe’s scaling of flowers, transforming into objects of reverence, Yayoi Kusama’s use of light that transcends space and time. I also love the 1950s Italian designer Cappucci, for his gem-colored sculptural gowns.
The distraction you want to eliminate: The explosion of ideas, wishing I could do them all.
Concrete or marble? Marble, having been created in the earth, showing the minerals and eons of nature in the veining and colors.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse, since it lives as part of the neighborhood, part of life. If you live in a high-rise, you’re more disconnected from the world around you.
Remember or forget? Remember. I find myself remembering the little moments with people—like my Uncle, whom raised me, taking out his mandolin or singing folk songs from his youth after family dinners. And I can close my eyes and remember sacred places, like the 2,000-year-old Tule tree in Oaxaca I visited with my family, a cathedral of a tree with a network of roots that extends deep into the earth.
Aliens or ghosts? Aliens. They excite your imagination. I often think of exploring and visiting other realms. It gives you a sense of the future, at a time when it’s more necessary than ever to imagine a different reality.
Dark or light? Light. I’m thinking of trees when the light hits them—it brings out the structure, it vibrates. Alive. Darkness is beautiful, but light gives life.
