MARY KATRANTZOU

Born in Athens, Mary Katrantzou studied Architecture at Rhode Island School of Design and graduated with a BA in Textile design and an MA in Fashion from Central Saint Martins. Her graduation show in 2008, which featured trompe l’oeil prints of oversized jewelry on jersey-bonded dresses, took the industry by storm, immediately securing a number of prestigious stockists, notably Browns, Joyce, Colette. After her graduation show, Mary Katrantzou established her namesake brand. She now boasts over 100 high-end stockists ranging from Selfridges to Harrods. Mary Katrantzou was dubbed "The Queen of Print" by the press, a moniker that recognized the enormous influence of her work in the medium. Katrantzou's work changed the face of twenty-first-century fashion, inspiring high fashion and high street designers alike. Prestigious collaborations have included capsule ranges with Swarovski, Victoria's Secret, Longchamp, Moncler, Topshop, Cowshed and Adidas Originals. “Print can be as definitive as a cut or a drape and allows a woman to filter beauty found in design, in a subversive way. All my prints are constructed through digital technology. Digital print allows me to experiment with print in a way that fine art and other methods could not. It opens up a huge spectrum for possibility; I can create possibility out of impossibility, surrealism out of realism and both vice versa.”