Mary Katrantzou
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Mary Katrantzou (born January 1983) is a Greek
fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...
who lives and works in London.


Early life

Mary Katrantzou was born in
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, Greece to an
interior designer Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...
mother and a father who trained in
textile engineering Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...
. Katrantzou moved to the United States in 2003 to study architecture at the
Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...
, but later transferred to
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of short ...
where she completed her bachelor's degree in 2005 and her master's degree in 2008."Fashion Case Study: Mary Katrantzou"
Retrieved 24 July 2015


Career

During her studies, she managed to sell some of her prints to
Bill Blass William Ralph Blass (June 22, 1922 – June 12, 2002) was an American fashion designer. He was the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999). Ear ...
. Graduating from her bachelor course in 2005, Katrantzou switched her focus from prints for interiors to fashion prints. Whilst collaborating with Sophia Kokosalaki in 2006, she built up a
portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...
for the Central Saint Martins master's fashion textiles course. In February 2008, Katrantzou opened the Saint Martins MA Fashion show at London Fashion Week. Her collection was nominated for the
Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...
and the L‘Oreal Professional Award. Katrantzou's graduating show in 2008 mapped out her signature style. It was themed around ''
trompe l'oeil A trompe is a water-powered air compressor, commonly used before the advent of the electric-powered compressor. A trompe is somewhat like an airlift pump working in reverse. Trompes were used to provide compressed air for bloomery furnaces ...
'' prints of oversized jewellery featured on jersey-bonded dresses. These pieces created the illusion of wearing giant neckpieces that would be too heavy in reality. She also designed jewellery made out of wood and metal that were exact replicas of the prints. Katrantzou's first
Prêt-à-porter Ready-to-wear (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a parti ...
collection was shown at the autumn/winter
London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London, England, twice a year, in June and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fash ...
in 2008. She was awarded NEWGEN sponsorship from the British Fashion Council for six seasons (S/S 2009 – A/W 2011). Katrantzou's first ready-to-wear collection for Autumn/Winter 2009 debuted at London Fashion Week in February 2009. Despite a small collection of nine dresses, Katrantzou picked up 15 stockists including Browns, Joyce and Colette. The designer achieved show status the following season, in Autumn/Winter 2009. Her collections are now sold in over 200 fashion shops, including
Selfridges Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of upmarket department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1908. The historic Daniel Burnham-designed Self ...
,
Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols Group Limited ( trading as Harvey Nichols) is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831 by Benjamin Harvey; it is headquartered at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections ...
,
Barneys Barneys New York is an American brand founded in 1923 by Barney Pressman that operated full-line department stores from 1923 until 2020. Authentic Brands Group acquired Barneys' intellectual property in 2019, and has licensed the brand to Saks ...
,
Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus is an American department store chain founded in 1907 in Dallas, Texas by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband Abraham Lincoln Neiman. It has been owned by Saks Global, a Corporate spin-off, spin-o ...
, Colette,
10 Corso Como 10 Corso Como is a shopping and dining complex in Milan, Italy with international locations in Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai. It combines outlets that show and sell works of art, fashion, music, design, cuisine and culture. It was founded in 1990 by ...
, Joyce,
Luisa via roma Luisaviaroma, also known as LVR, is a luxury retailer that offers high-end fashion, home decor, and lifestyle products. It was founded in 1929 by the family of Andrea Panconesi. References Retail companies of Italy Italian brands {{ ...
,
Mytheresa Mytheresa.com is a listed e-commerce company in the luxury fashion sector based in Munich, Germany. Mytheresa sells ready-to-wear, shoes, bags, and accessories for womenswear, menswear and kidswear as well as lifestyle products and jewelry global ...
, Hiphunters, Stylebop, Opening Ceremony and Net a Porter, and in 47 countries. A collection for
Topshop TOPSHOP (originally Top Shop) is a British online fast-fashion retailer, which specialises in women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It is majority owned by Danish company, Bestseller. In 2024, ASOS sold 75% of Topshop and Topman to Bests ...
launched for
London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London, England, twice a year, in June and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fash ...
autumn/winter 2010 and was available in shops in February 2011 and sold out within the first few days of its release. Katrantzou's work has appeared in publications including
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...
, Dazed & Confused, and
Grazia ''Grazia'' (; ; stylized in all caps) is a weekly women's magazine that originated in Italy with international editions printed in Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, In ...
. She is one of the designers of Città dell'arte Fashion. February 2012 saw the release of her collaboration with Longchamp creating a capsule collection of bags and totes. To promote them Vogue Japan gave away a plastic card case with Katrantzou's prints with their May issue. Three prints featured in this collaboration over several different shapes and sizes. In April 2014, Katrantzou announced she would be working with
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
'for the foreseeable future', both clothing and footwear. Katrantzou sold a minority stake in her business to Yu Capital, the investment division of Hong Kong-based Yu Holdings, in October 2017. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it was said to have been part of Yu Holdings' founder and chief executive Wendy Yu's "wider plan to act as bridge for Western brands targeting Chinese consumers." In 2018, Katrantzou celebrated the label's 10 year anniversary by showcasing her tenth-anniversary collection during September's
London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London, England, twice a year, in June and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fash ...
. Katrantzou’s show was at
The Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse, a circ ...
in London, It is her imagination of the ordinary with initial vivid prints which the designer is known for. At the end of 2019, Katrantzou returned home to Athens, where she showcased the SS20 collection. The show was dedicated to celebrating the 30th anniversary of the founding of ELPIDA, the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer, established by Mrs Marianna V. Vardinoyannis. In April 2024, Mary Katrantzou became
Bulgari Bulgari (, ; stylized as BVLGARI) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods. Headquartered in Rome, the company was acquired by the French conglomera ...
's first creative director for leather goods and accessories.


Awards

In 2010, Katrantzou was awarded the Swiss Textiles Award, succeeding Alexander Wang. In November 2011, Katrantzou was awarded the British Fashion Award for Emerging Talent: womenswear and in February 2012 was awarded Young Designer of the Year at the Elle Style Awards. She received the 2015 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund including a 12-month period of mentorship and a £200,000 grant. In 2015 she was awarded the British Fashion Awards – New Establishment.


Personal life

She is the daughter of Katherine Gouma and Mr Katrantzous. katrantzous is a only child and has no family of her own


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katrantzou, Mary 1983 births Greek women fashion designers Living people Businesspeople from Athens Alumni of Central Saint Martins High fashion brands