Sophia Kokosalaki

Sophia Kokosalaki (Greek: Σοφία Κοκοσαλάκη; 3 November 1972 – 13 October 2019)[1][2] was a Greek fashion designer based in London.[3][4][5][6]

Sophia Kokosalaki
Σοφία Κοκοσαλάκη
Born(1972-11-03)3 November 1972
Athens, Greece
Died13 October 2019(2019-10-13) (aged 46)
London, England
EducationUniversity of Athens
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
OccupationFashion designer
Children1
Dress by Sophia Kokosalaki, London 2005. PFF collection.

Biography

Born in Athens, of Cretan origin, Kokosalaki studied Greek and English literature at the University of Athens, before moving to London, where she graduated from the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.[4][7]

Career

Kokosalaki started her eponymous label in London in 1999.[5] She received an Elle designer award and the Art Foundation award for fashion in 2002 and a new generation designer award in 2004, and had regular editorial from Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and W magazines.

In 2004, she was commissioned to design outfits for the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, which were staged in her home town of Athens.[4][8] Over six thousand people were dressed by Kokosalaki for the opening ceremony, most notably the singer Björk who performed "Oceania" in an enormous ocean-inspired dress composed of many pleats and folds.[7][9]

Briefly, between 2006 and 2007, Kokosalaki was the first creative director of the relaunched Vionnet fashion house.[7] Although Kokosalaki cites Madeleine Vionnet as one of her favourite historical couturiers, and her work was well-received, she was ultimately disappointed by the experience, and left after two collections to focus on her own label.[7][10]

Her style often featured classic Grecian draping combined with hand-crafted elements. While Kokosalaki was particularly known for draped, softly flowing dresses, her designs could also be architectural and heavily textured, and she worked in leather and tougher fabrics as well.[7]

Personal life

Kokosalaki, who was married, with one daughter,[11] died on 13 October 2019 after a brief illness with cancer.[1]

References
  1. "Inspired London-based Greek fashion designer dies, Elis Kiss | Kathimerini". www.ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  2. Sophia Kokosalaki, Who Gave London Fashion a Grecian Spin, Dies at 46
  3. Rickey, Melanie (5 October 2009). "PFW Show Report: Sophia Kokosalaki". Grazia. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  4. Tamsin Blanchard, 'Sophia Kokosalaki hooks up with Asos', The Daily Telegraph, January 21, 2012
  5. 'Little black book: Sophia Kokosalaki', in The Daily Telegraph, October 23, 2011
  6. "London-based designer Sophia Kokosalaki dies age 47". www.ekathimerini.com. ekathimerini.com. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  7. "Sophia Kokosalaki: Perfect 10". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  8. Kiss, Elis (14 October 2003). "Greece is striving for Olympic gold as Games' designs meld ancient and modern". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  9. Dibben, Nicola (2009). Björk. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 65. ISBN 9780253220653.
  10. Tungate, Mark. Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara. Kogan Page Publishers. pp. 144–45. ISBN 9780749464479.
  11. Cochrane, Lauren (14 October 2019). "Fashion designer Sophia Kokosalaki dies aged 47". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
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