Ariadne Kritonos

Hi there, One of the most fascinating things for me when it comes to my work is searching for the symbolic meaning of the motifs I use in my designs. Greek folk art doesn't have a centralised way of learning about it. It requires a lot of personal work and exploration, reaching out to experts and looking through published research papers and bibliography. Especially when it comes to the symbolic meaning of motifs, the information is really scattered and very difficult to come across. When I...

Hi there, This week, I’m thrilled to introduce another non-profit I’ll be supporting through a portion of every Attica Gardens scarf sold: Avlés! Avlés is the creative collaboration of two remarkable women, Erini and Aristoula, whose work celebrates Greek traditions through the universal language of the performing arts. Their projects bring people together through movement, sound and storytelling. I truly feel that their work completes mine... Because in Greek folk tradition, there is no folk...

Hi there, The day finally came — and I’m still buzzing from it! Being part of the Blue Wrap Runway fashion show was a huge honor. If you haven’t followed the story, please read here. With Laura (left) and Alicia (right) To see my design walk the runway, beautifully brought to life by Alicia Greenwald (who constructed it) and Laura Jordan (who modeled it), was nothing short of magical. But, what left the deepest impression wasn’t the fashion. It was the people! Here is lovely Laura wearing the...

Hi there, If you missed my last newsletter, I am taking part in the Blue Wrap Project Runway show in May! Today, I want to share with you why I created the design that will be walking down the runway in just a month’s time. The Story Behind My Design When Partners for World Health (PWH) reached out and asked me to design Greece's garment, I wanted to understand the kind of support they had provided to Greece. They told me that in 2016, PWH sent medical supplies to the island of Lesvos - a...

Hi there, I am so glad you are here for the last email of the Folk Fact series and it is a juicy one! So let’s dive in... What is happening here? Greek folk art has been influenced both by the East and the West for a number of historical reasons. Today I am going to touch on the influence that the European art had on Greek folk art mainly because I want to share with you some very inspiring 16th century Pattern Books that I’ve come across in my research. They not only influenced Greek folk...

Hi there, In the first email of the series we talked about imperfection and how comfortable Greek women were with the idea of "good enough" when they had to. Today, we will look at how meticulous they were when creating their embroideries and most impressively how patient! Embroidered cushion from Lefkada, Ionian Islands What is happening here? Here you are looking at a pillow cover from the Eptanese, a group of islands located at the most western part of Greece which includes islands like...