Kalliope: "What we will or not do on market forecasts"

KALLIOPE will be exhibiting at HOMI FASHION&JEWELS EXHIBITION 16 - 19 September 2022

A dedication to sustainability, craftsmanship, design and manufacturing with the ultimate accuracy. HOMI FASHION&JEWELS EXHIBITION explores a cultural challenge, is sustainability an utopian fantasy or a possibility?

Tell us about your first collection.

Back then, it was not really a matter of a collection. It was a very good day to remember, really, because we used to be making things from the Greek summer and with leather and with the little bronze things that we used to sell in the shop that we had when we were 18 years old. The first items we were selling in our own shop. We still have the shop but it has changed location because back then it was a picturesque place, a very nice place, more than 20 years ago. And then we moved to Athens, near the Syntagma Square, which is the heart of Athens.

You started travelling a lot to fairs internationally.

Yes, but also before we traveled a lot in search of inspiration and joy all around the world. We went to Africa, Asia, North America, Latin America. And then we started with the fairs. Greek fairs and then internationally. We went to Paris, Milan, Munich, New York, Las Vegas. 

In the 90’s the design was is very minimalist, right? How did it change through the years to what it is today?

We were inspired by the eighties. Big jewels with a lot of materials. And then we realised that we weren’t into gold and silver, because we actually liked the complexity and volume of different materials. Very kitsch, very eighties, and that was transformed to the minimalistic nineties. 

How do you know you are on the right page regarding “market forecasts”?

They are all obsessions or prediction on what we work on or not, on “market forecasts”. We follow our niche, understanding the trends and taking them in count, but not getting lost in this.

You are very connected to the traditional Greek art,  using a craft technique.

The casting process is not known by everyone, but it is used all over the world and not only for jewelry. It was created in our country 2000 years before Christ. So it has a very long history in jewelry making. And in fact, it's it's not only one profession, it’s more than 25, 30, 30 different professions that have to do with the casting, and putting things together. We were raised in this environment in the central of Athens, there is a lot of history and design.

What materials are involved?

We use mostly brass. Silver only 10% for our private collections. A lot of leather, we use stones, semi-precious stones, whatever, sometimes even more eccentric materials like feathers, or even needles. And these are totally handmade. We have machines, but they are not huge production machines. 

How many collections do you think you had over the years?

You have to keep in mind your client.We create 3 to 4 lines twice a year. The whole collection is about 100 and 150 pieces. It's not only summertime or winter in France or in the US. We have to create lines that everybody, every woman will like it. That's why when when we design, because of our huge experience in selling jewelry straight to people through our shop, we always think about the woman that is going to put it on.