PIC_2000_1:
Interview
The uncommon world of
Kalliopi Karavassili
Kalliopi is involved with creating wearable art for the last 5 years. Her creations are influenced by ancient Greek civilization -the contrast of bondage and freedom found in ancient garments- but she considers her “one-piece jewelry” of universal appeal. She uses macramé as a way of communicating through the exchange of energy, love and passion. She’s self taught and used to be a lawyer.
Text by
Christiana G.
Artwork by
George velissarios
What does KARIMA mean?
The name is based on the acronyms of my three children’s names. Later on I learned about the Arabic name “Karim” which means generous, a quality that actually defines my own personality.
Generosity?
Yes, it’s my need for communication through giving: when you give, you actually take.
Why did you choose macramé? An art so popular, so common.
It helps me express my innermost world. Whatever makes me feel restricted or holds me back transfigures to knots I make and cut, like an attempt to break my inner bindings, to define my own space. Macrame -“desia” in Greek – was used extensively in Crete hundreds of years ago by women to build trousseau, using nothing but their hands, no tools whatsoever. That’s what fascinated me in the first place: the energy you get from working with thread and bare hands, like going back to a primitive state of creation. This process somehow gives me the opportunity to stop time.
And you do that, you stop time.
Yes, by creating one-piece wearable art, either in the form of dresses or jewelry. Capturing time and leaving art behind, like a legacy.
How much time you need to create one of your dresses? Can you describe your creative process?
It starts out as a prayer, a prayer for strength and energy to be able to create, to translate what’s in my mind to actual art. I never work with a pattern or design, I visualize what I want to create and then do it. This whole process is pure passion, an offering of my soul and body.
Is it physically painful then?
Totally. I work for hours straight, almost never sitting down. I’m always standing, shaping forms on my tailoring doll. I look at the human body as a canvas that I start to dress, tie up, trigger, activate. I’m trying to address the duality of the feminine nature: the one that needs protection and the one that needs to be set free, come out of its bondage and reveal itself. For me it’s like a game, endless hours of knotting…I think I do nothing else!
PIC_2000_1:
How do you choose you materials? You work with cords and silk.
The silk I use comes exclusively from Soufli, a town in Northern Greece well known for its premium quality in silk production. I also work with cotton, jute, rayon and leather.
What draws you to different types of material?
The feel of it. Cords are rough, cotton is soft, fresh, something you would use in the summertime. Rayon helps me create more intense knots, this sense of “armor” I want my creations to have.
So you select them emotionally.
Exactly. Touching them gives me a certain feeling, and my dresses are created based on that feeling.
The woman that wears them could feel accordingly then?
Yes. I want her to feel protected, charming. My clothes are unique as each and every woman’s personality. Every piece has its own history, so I want the woman that wears it to feel the story I’m telling. The confidence and protection that my “armors” offer can lead to a game of sexual unveiling, a game of “see-don’t see”/“touch-don’t touch”, the elegant side of voyeurism. I’d like to see women wear them on expensive carpets, walking barefoot on the beach or in more…“private” moments.
PIC_2000_1:
Do you have a fetish?
Threads! (laughing), I find them kinky and playful, knotting threads is also used in Shibari. It’s a Japanese art which enhances a woman’s sensuality through certain types of knots…it can even lead to sexual peaking, just through the use and pressure of these knots.
Tell me 3 people that you admire and may have influenced you.
I love Picasso, I’ve followed his work through the years and I find his insatiable passion so comforting. Always evolving, always in love with life.
I admire Azzedine Alaia, he was a sculptor. Alaia was a true artist, you cannot just address him as a fashion designer.
I also love Balmain, I admire the way he has evolved. He has been a big influence on me, his designs being aggressive but feminine, playful but edgy.
And 3 famous women you’d like to wear your art.
Maria Callas, Madonna & Simone de Beauvoir. All three have surpassed norms and rules, they have been provocative in their own distinct way.
PIC_2000_1:
Have you thought about creating something other than clothes & jewelry?
And masks! I don’t want to stop exploring, experimenting…objects maybe. My jewelry share the same philosophy with my dresses, I love statement jewelry. I’ve been deeply affected by my travels to Asia and Africa, the way people connect with materials through love and patience. Masterpieces are created through simple materials & imagination, and that to me is real beauty.
How do you relax when you’re not creating?
I’m always listening to classical music, creating or not. I relax by meeting friends and loved ones, meditating and a lot of walking. I prefer long nature walks, they clear my head and keep me balanced. I love travelling and when I’m not able to do so I watch documentaries, I’m deeply interested in different civilizations, mostly Eastern ones.
How do you see yourself 10 years from now?
I hope my passion for creating will be eternal and I’d like to try new paths of creation.
So it’s not limited to what you do now, with macramé.
Not really, there is a common denominator in everything I do and that is to define space. Trying to make sense of it, put it in different forms and shapes. I’ve always liked to upcycle things, transform them into something else ever since I was just a little kid. I’m fascinated by the process of creating something new from something old. The idea of “fashionable” does not exist in my philosophy, I’m more intrigued by the sense of timelessness. I’ve kept my grandmother’s and mother’s clothes which I still wear, blending them with my own personal style. It’s like wanting to capture time, keep it still.
Photography
@velissarios_j_george
Style
@nikipagiataki
Muah
@iamklaram
Models
@sompaantonio (@dmodelagency), @patricia.zajacova (@ace_models_athens)
Shot at @artbatterystudio
karima is represented by @funkypelota Showroom
PIC_2000_1:
Interview
The uncommon world
of Kalliopi Karavassili
Kalliopi is involved with creating wearable art for the last 5 years. Her creations are influenced by ancient Greek civilization -the contrast of bondage and freedom found in ancient garments- but she considers her “one-piece jewelry” of universal appeal. She uses macramé as a way of communicating through the exchange of energy, love and passion. She’s self taught and used to be a lawyer.
Text by
Christiana G.
Artwork by
George velissarios
What does KARIMA mean?
The name is based on the acronyms of my three children’s names. Later on I learned about the Arabic name “Karim” which means generous, a quality that actually defines my own personality.
Generosity?
Yes, it’s my need for communication through giving: when you give, you actually take.
Why did you choose macramé? An art so popular, so common.
It helps me express my innermost world. Whatever makes me feel restricted or holds me back transfigures to knots I make and cut, like an attempt to break my inner bindings, to define my own space. Macrame -“desia” in Greek – was used extensively in Crete hundreds of years ago by women to build trousseau, using nothing but their hands, no tools whatsoever. That’s what fascinated me in the first place: the energy you get from working with thread and bare hands, like going back to a primitive state of creation. This process somehow gives me the opportunity to stop time.
And you do that, you stop time.
Yes, by creating one-piece wearable art, either in the form of dresses or jewelry. Capturing time and leaving art behind, like a legacy.
How much time you need to create one of your dresses? Can you describe your creative process?
It starts out as a prayer, a prayer for strength and energy to be able to create, to translate what’s in my mind to actual art. I never work with a pattern or design, I visualize what I want to create and then do it. This whole process is pure passion, an offering of my soul and body.
Is it physically painful then?
Totally. I work for hours straight, almost never sitting down. I’m always standing, shaping forms on my tailoring doll. I look at the human body as a canvas that I start to dress, tie up, trigger, activate. I’m trying to address the duality of the feminine nature: the one that needs protection and the one that needs to be set free, come out of its bondage and reveal itself. For me it’s like a game, endless hours of knotting…I think I do nothing else!
PIC_2000_1:
How do you choose you materials? You work with cords and silk.
The silk I use comes exclusively from Soufli, a town in Northern Greece well known for its premium quality in silk production. I also work with cotton, jute, rayon and leather.
What draws you to different types of material?
The feel of it. Cords are rough, cotton is soft, fresh, something you would use in the summertime. Rayon helps me create more intense knots, this sense of “armor” I want my creations to have.
So you select them emotionally.
Exactly. Touching them gives me a certain feeling, and my dresses are created based on that feeling.
The woman that wears them could feel accordingly then?
Yes. I want her to feel protected, charming. My clothes are unique as each and every woman’s personality. Every piece has its own history, so I want the woman that wears it to feel the story I’m telling. The confidence and protection that my “armors” offer can lead to a game of sexual unveiling, a game of “see-don’t see”/“touch-don’t touch”, the elegant side of voyeurism. I’d like to see women wear them on expensive carpets, walking barefoot on the beach or in more…“private” moments.
PIC_2000_1:
Do you have a fetish?
Threads! (laughing), I find them kinky and playful, knotting threads is also used in Shibari. It’s a Japanese art which enhances a woman’s sensuality through certain types of knots…it can even lead to sexual peaking, just through the use and pressure of these knots.
Tell me 3 people that you admire and may have influenced you.
I love Picasso, I’ve followed his work through the years and I find his insatiable passion so comforting. Always evolving, always in love with life.
I admire Azzedine Alaia, he was a sculptor. Alaia was a true artist, you cannot just address him as a fashion designer.
I also love Balmain, I admire the way he has evolved. He has been a big influence on me, his designs being aggressive but feminine, playful but edgy.
And 3 famous women you’d like to wear your art.
Maria Callas, Madonna & Simone de Beauvoir. All three have surpassed norms and rules, they have been provocative in their own distinct way.
PIC_2000_1:
Have you thought about creating something other than clothes & jewelry?
And masks! I don’t want to stop exploring, experimenting…objects maybe. My jewelry share the same philosophy with my dresses, I love statement jewelry. I’ve been deeply affected by my travels to Asia and Africa, the way people connect with materials through love and patience. Masterpieces are created through simple materials & imagination, and that to me is real beauty.
How do you relax when you’re not creating?
I’m always listening to classical music, creating or not. I relax by meeting friends and loved ones, meditating and a lot of walking. I prefer long nature walks, they clear my head and keep me balanced. I love travelling and when I’m not able to do so I watch documentaries, I’m deeply interested in different civilizations, mostly Eastern ones.
How do you see yourself 10 years from now?
I hope my passion for creating will be eternal and I’d like to try new paths of creation.
So it’s not limited to what you do now, with macramé.
Not really, there is a common denominator in everything I do and that is to define space. Trying to make sense of it, put it in different forms and shapes. I’ve always liked to upcycle things, transform them into something else ever since I was just a little kid. I’m fascinated by the process of creating something new from something old. The idea of “fashionable” does not exist in my philosophy, I’m more intrigued by the sense of timelessness. I’ve kept my grandmother’s and mother’s clothes which I still wear, blending them with my own personal style. It’s like wanting to capture time, keep it still.
Photography
@velissarios.george
Style
@nikipagiataki
Muah
@iamklaram
Models
@sompaantonio (@dmodelagency), @patricia.zajacova (@ace_models_athens)
Shot at @artbatterystudio
karima is represented by @funkypelota Showroom