Telling the history of Cyprus through clothes
Source: Cyprus Mail
New collection to be presented in Athens is as authentic as you can get
Historical creativity meets fashion in the Woven Roots collection to be presented this week by Folkmona, which aims to shed light on the everyday life of Cypriot women, and their daily work in the home and the community.
“Every stitch, every fabric, every thread connects different Cypriots artisans, grandmothers, weavers, young designers all coming together to preserve and reimagine what it means to be Cypriot today,” Folkmona founder Andreani Panayides tells the Cyprus Mail.
Woven Roots will be showcased at Athens Fashion Week, held in Greece’s capital from Tuesday to November 17 as part of Folkmona’s dedication to preserving Cypriot culture and heritage through fashion. This deeply personal collection took a year to design.
Sticking to Folkmona’s sustainable goals, the collection to be even includes recycled potato sack fabric. They were “literally old potato sacks from Cyprus which we cleaned, repurposed, and embroidered with Lefkara-inspired patterns,” Panayides says, a reminder that beauty and value can come from the simplest materials. They plan on using this fabric in future workshops to teach others how to do the same.
The collection is characterised by layers and softness in every piece. Woven Roots is a deeply personal project. Some designs include handmade details by Panayides’ grandma. Other elements include the amalgamation of Lefkara lace, fythkiotiko, crochet and of course, rizari.
To Panayides, the crochet used has a “special meaning” as her grandmother still crochets every day, and she always gives her piles of her work. “When I was younger,” she continues, “I didn’t appreciate it, but now I use those same crochet pieces in my designs. It’s a way of giving new life to what our grandmothers made and encouraging others to do the same.”
The creators were fascinated by the undergarments historically worn beneath the traditional costumes. “They were so detailed and delicate, full of lace and structure.” This is what inspired the latest collection, that feels intimate and handmade, but wearable and current; a celebration of community which carries the story of the people, the hours of work and history behind it.
Nothing is mass-produced; every detail is hand-made, researched, and made with intention. Folkmona hopes that through reconnecting with Cypriot culture, “the public can view how the everyday crafts of our ancestors, those they practised at home without even thinking about it, can be reimagined into contemporary clothing.”
“I had to leave Cyprus to truly understand how much it meant to me,” Panayides explains. Living abroad made her realise that Cyprus is more than just a place – it’s an identity. In 2023, she discovered something startling about the traditional rizari fabric, a central element of the collection, that fascinated her: the material, which once took her ancestors days to produce in just a few metres, is now being manufactured in Pakistan.
In this latest collection, extensive use is made of the rizari fabric which she made sure is woven by hand in the island. The collection is “inspired by the red alatsia fabric that once coloured our ancestors’ wardrobes,” she says. It is as authentic as it gets, “we even dyed some fabric the traditional way, using the rizari root, just as they did in the past, and the process was slow, meditative, and deeply grounding.”
The fabric used by Folkmona is currently produced by a weaver in the village Fyti, Paphos. She hopes to make the fabric more available locally so that other designers can use a truly Cypriot textile rather than imported imitations. “Supporting local craftsmanship, even if it costs more, is an investment in keeping these traditions alive,” she adds.
The founder believes this is the perfect moment to launch a collection – designed by Valentina Panayides – with a powerful cultural message, as Cypriots are now ready to embrace this energy like never before. Since starting Folkmona, she has witnessed a remarkable shift in how younger generations view their heritage. “People are becoming proud again, learning, creating, and cherishing traditions that once seemed forgotten.” With Cypriots rediscovering their roots, they believe the time is ideal for the world to appreciate the island’s traditions.
Sustainability and ethical production are at the heart of both the Woven Roots collection and Folkmona itself. They never throw fabric away as all cutoffs are used in their Kourellou weaving workshops, where those who attend are taught to repurpose scraps into mats and pouches, as our ancestors did.
The original article: belongs to Cyprus Mail .
