Experiencing Stephanie Papoutsis’ design editorial is like consuming the elements of Greece in silence – it drowns out the noisy and touristy perception of what people think the country is all about (food, music and entertainment), and thrusts their minds into the deeply architectural influence of Greece.
“In my editorial I don’t just capture a model with beautiful garments, I capture what we forget to love about Greece the most, but subtly as well,” Stephanie tells The Greek Herald.
The 19-year-old Sydney graduate from Australia’s leading selective design school, Whitehouse Institute of Design, encompasses the architecture, sculpture, pottery and jewellery forms of Ancient Greece through a modern lens in her editorial, Paralia.
Paralia, translated as ‘beach,’ includes models posing like ancient Greek sculptures paired with modern jewellery – a testament to the ancient and modern Greek worlds coming together.
“At my exhibition people would ask me, ‘What is it inspired by?’ and I would say, ‘It’s like two worlds colliding together. The imagery and style I like to create, and my Greek heritage’,” Stephanie explains.
The aspiring Creative Director says while conceptualising Paralia, there was a natural inclination towards her Greek culture.
“I would be attracted to fabric like linen and wool and silk and they all derived from ancient Greece,” she says.
“I think the upbringing of all designers inspires what they create, and what I can remember the most is my culture.
“When I was little, I remember making dresses for my dolls out of handkerchiefs with my yiayia, who was a seamstress.
“It’s little moments like that which have impacted me.”
Stephanie’s love for design and fabric runs in the family, as her father possesses an artistic hand which is often used in the design side of his electrical trade.
When designing Paralia, Stephanie’s father would often recall his time as an apprentice at the Sydney Opera House and she says it influenced her design thinking.
“You know, a lot of my advice, my love and patience for design, I’m going to be honest, comes from my dad,” Stephanie says.
So, for the young creative, contextualising her project in Australia with Sydney’s Opera House is a design choice which not only allows her project to appeal to an Australian audience, but is also a nod of appreciation to her dad.
Speaking of her dad, Stephanie explains how being an artist has always been accepted by her family, and that their lack of opportunities to become creatives motivated her to go to design school.
“My yiayia and dads creativity became hobbies rather than careers for them,” she says.
“I wanted to take what they have taught me about design and what they weren’t able to do and become something.”
Appreciating Greek heritage through design:
Both of Stephanie’s parents were children of Greek migrants and the young designer went to All Saints Grammar, a Greek Orthodox school in the Sydney suburb of Belmore.
Growing up Greek, Stephanie admits she was initially hesitant to delve into her heritage as a concept.
“I didn’t want people to feel uncomfortable and like they couldn’t be included to understand my editorial,” she says.
But after a fellow student in her design class began to explore her Swedish heritage, Stephanie says that she was inspired: “I was like ‘wow, I really love that she’s just doing it’.”
Stephanie decided to show people the beauty of Greece, curated with Greek words like ‘ocean’ and ‘lake,’ and connect the line between ancient and modern Greece. The soft, light tones and black and white photography emanates an alluring feeling of the Greek culture.
“I pay attention to the ancient and modern elements through my photography and when I merge those two worlds together I think I’ve got a very ethereal piece,” she says.
The soundtrack, for example, also incorporates traditional Greek instruments with modern beats, transporting anyone watching it to both ancient and modern Greece.
“That track, made me feel something… and I thought I want to make somebody feel that a million times, with my whole editorial,” Stephanie says.
The Sydney designer adds that Paralia, while a depiction of Greek architectural elements, also holds a deeper concept.
“As a second generation Australian Greek, we are the first to grow up, really not experiencing the country itself and not experiencing the upbringing to understand Greece for what it is,” she says.
“So, I wanted to show an appreciation of the ancient side we forget to love, but I intentionally put a modern part in because I think it represents what our generation loves too.”
In doing so, Paralia brings all the best parts of Greece that second and third generation Greek Australians don’t get to tangibly enjoy every day: the statues, the ancient architecture, the beach and the water.
Through her piece of educational art, Stephanie creates a message of reminder to not forget about this intricate part of Greece. She also hopes people, with or without Greek heritage, feel a newfound appreciation of ancient and modern Greek culture.
