The Gifted Fashion Designer, Afroditi Hadjirakleous
Text: Romina Xyda
Photography: Panagiotis Mina
Afroditi Hadjirakleous is inspired and enchanted by anything ethnic. She loves designing elaborate shapes and patterns paired with daring color combinations in order to produce her own textiles and bring images from her dreams to life. Afroditi doesn’t believe in trends or easy solutions, probably because everything she has achieved was the result of hard work that led her to international recognition after only eight years in the fashion industry. In 2009, L'Oreal Professionel commissioned her for the exclusive creation of their Paris centennial celebratory collection, presented to thousands of spectators from 45 countries. This was followed by her impressive shows with L'Oreal and Matrix all over the world, while in 2017 her unique creations found a home in Bergdorf Goodman – Neiman Marcus and sold in the boutique of style guru Linda Fargo. 2018 proved to be her year: she was selected to participate in the COMMONWEALTH FASHION EXCHANGE as the representative of Cyprus amongst 52 Commonwealth countries, for an amazing project under the auspices of Elizabeth II Queen of England, Eco Age and Livia Firth. “London Fashion Week to me was like a dream, a fairytale”, Afroditi says. “The invitation came straight from the Queen of England, Elizabeth the second, and as soon as I received it I got a shiver up my spine. Only 300 people were invited to the celebration which took place on February 19th at Buckingham Palace and in the presence of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. I had the opportunity to speak with personalities like Anna Wintour, it was an unforgettable experience”.
If Cyprus was a woman
“I would dress her in a graceful, ethereal caftan in green and golden hues, a golden green leaf floating in the sea...”.
