The 34th Athens Fashion Week: Fashion’s Biggest Celebration at Zappeion Megaron

The event, that took place from the 20th until the 24th of April 2024, drew the attendance of fashion designers, celebrities, top models, journalists from all over the world, and prime invitees, making it the biggest celebration of fashion in Greece.

The exhibition “Fashion and the Olympic Games, Athens 2004 – Paris 2024” was organised with the support of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, and in partnership with the Olympic Museum of Athens. Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the upcoming Paris Games, Athens Fashion Week celebrated the close relationship between fashion and sports. The exhibition showcased significant fashion moments from the past 20 years, highlighting the Olympic Games in Athens, Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and the forthcoming Paris Games, with a special focus on
the 2004 Athens Games.

Moreover, the exhibition showcased the works of Greek designers, including Dassios/Dimitris Dassios, Olga Karaververi, Parthenis/Orsalia Parthenis, Kathy Heyndels/ Yannis Togkos, Kourbella/Ioanna Kourbela, Deniz Eleutheriou, Tassos Mitropoulos/Tassos Mitropoulos, Chara Lebessi, Maison Faliakos/Christos Petridis, Celebrity Skin, DaphneValente, Paris Valtadoros, and Deux Hommes. Each designer drew inspiration from the Olympic Games to create a dedicated piece. The Opening Ceremony was graced by distinguished figures from the sports world, Olympians, supporters of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, and members of the media. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Minister of Tourism, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, and the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Mr. Spyros Capralos.

As an honorary guest at Athens Fashion Week, the renowned Italian designer Elisabetta Franchi presented her collection “Eternal” showcasing her vision of enduring beauty in the Greek capital. The event paid tribute to the country and Athens, featuring an impressive video highlighting ancient monuments and the city as an introduction to her show. The esteemed Italian fashion brand Elisabetta Franchi is represented in Greece by Gruppo Pagoni. Following the fashion show, an exclusive cocktail party took place at the Zappeion Megaron, where distinguished guests had the opportunity to meet the fashion designer.

The opening day of the event featured the exhibition “Fashion and Olympic Games, Athens 2094-Paris 2024” which showcased the creative works of established Greek designers and cherished museum pieces such as Olympic uniforms and torches.

 Furthermore, in collaboration with the Italian Embassy, the exhibition “Fashion Panorama — The Italian New Wave” was showcased under the custody of Vogue Italia. The exhibition featured the creations of ten new Italian fashion designers and brands, including ACT N°1, Gisèle, Cormio, Lessico familiare, Magliano, Marco Rambaldi, Medea, Panconesi, Niccolò Pasqualetti, and SSHEENA, for their sharp eye and creative approach. The first day also witnessed fashion designer Elissabetta Franchi’s debut collection being presented to the Greek public in Athens. The day concluded with an impressive show from fashion house Kathy Heyndels and their collection “Blooming,” along with Marios Togos and his line “Vendetta.”

The second day of Athens Fashion Week began with the creations of fashion brand CFCouture by Christina Farmaki, followed by fashion house Dassios’s collection “Peri Therous” S/S ’24. The Celebrity Skin by Dimitris Strepkos presented their collection “Daydreaming A poem for Katia,” dedicated to the memory of his best friend KatiaNikolaidou. Next up, fashion brand Christine&Joe, Joe Togou, and actress Christina Pappa showcased the collection “Waves.”

The second day concluded with the famous fashion designer Malan Breton’s debut collection in Greece, F/W ’25, inspired by the Glam Rock era of the ’70s. Malan Breton has designed for celebrities worldwide, including Ariana Grande, Lorde, Priyanka Chopra, and Maye Musk. Milliner Michelle Hutchings and opera singer Courtney Ann Mills also presented at the event. Popular gender-neutral model and social media influencer with ~12 million followers, Elton Illirjani and Miss Earth 2023, Drita Ziri were also present on the catwalk.

The third day of Athens Fashion Week saw the California-based Bella Paradise present its luxurious swimwear line for the first time in Greece. Fashion designer Daphne Valente’s collection “Lost my marbles” sent a strong message about the return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece. Ioanna Kourbela followed with the collection S/S ’25 “The time is here.” The day concluded with Paris Valtadoros and his line called “Mystique” at the atmospheric and spectacular Lake Vouliagmeni late that evening.

On the fourth day of Athens Fashion Week, the brand Parthenis, represented by the president of the Hellenic Fashion Designers Association Orsalia Parthenis, presented the collection “Εarthbound” at Omonoia Square. Popular gender-neutral model and social media influencer with over 12 million followers, Elton Illirjani, was also present on the catwalk.

The day concluded with the “New Designers Awards by HUAWEI FREE CLIP,” where six new upcoming designers and the ΙΕΚ ALFA students showcased an innovative fashion show under the guidance and creative direction of Lakis Gavalas. The judging panel featured Malan Breton, fashion designer and guest of honour of the 34th Athens Fashion Week, Tanja Beljanski, from L’Officiel Arabia, Pinelopi Papanikolaou, fashion editor for Beaute magazine and communication sponsor for Athens Fashion Week, Romina Karamanea, designer and owner of RK Fashion School, and Yujie Cao (Jay), GTM Manager of Huawei. The award ceremony was presented by Journalist and Presenter, Kim Kilian.

The winners of the New Designers Awards by HUAWEI FreeClip were selected as follows:
Best New Designer: Blue
Best Trendsetter: P. ANCHOR
Best Catwalk: L’ AMOUR ET L’AME ATELIER

The day at Zappeio will finish with Irene Angelopoulos and her S/S ’24 haute couture collection. The last of the 34th Athens Fashion Week, Wednesday 24/4, was dedicated to the creations of Vassilis Zoulias with the prêt-à- porter collection F/W ’24-25 “Film Noir” whilst the imaginative jewelry of Pericles Kondylatos will adorn his creations once again. The show at place at “Cine Iris”.

The Fashion Design Project by Georg Jensen was a highly anticipated design competition featured at Athens Fashion Week. This is the second major side event of AFW, aimed at aspiring fashion designers. It is a design sketch contest open to talented individuals who are looking to launch their careers in the fashion industry. The competition is open to fashion and arts students, as well as individuals with a natural flair for design from the general public. This season, the competition was proudly sponsored and supported by the renowned Danish brand Georg Jensen, adding an extra layer of prestige to the event.