When supermodel Elisa Sednaoui handed over the New Establishment Award at the British Fashion Awards in December 2015 and the room exploded with applause, it marked a new shift in gear for Mary Katrantzou. The beaming designer has become renowned on the world stage for her eye-catching, highly worked clothes, which vibrate with colour
and energy, and it was time to celebrate.

Katrantzou has created a unique aesthetic that often borrows from decorative upholstery patterns such as Victorian wallpapers and tromp l’oeil motifs of objet d’art. The 30-year-old’s focus on home furnishings can be traced to her mother who was an interior designer (and she mistook Pierre Cardin for an interiors specialist when she met him, too). Enraptured with designed spaces, Athens-born Katrantzou moved to America to enrol at Rhode Island School of Design and study architecture. Surrounded by a thriving creative scene (eminent artists Jenny Holzer and Roni Horn studied there) fashion struck a chord and she transferred to Central Saint Martins to complete her BA in textile design, before joining the Fashion MA. She retained a sixth sense for architectural form and structure, landing on the radar of those outside of fashion’s inner circle when her sculptural lampshade dresses appeared on the catwalk in February 2011. Interiors continue to feature heavily in her work: of her SS16 collection she says, “We started with gypsy culture and ended up with inspiration from all over the world. We combined florals in different kinds of ways and used mazes and 18^th Century gates as inspiration for lace.” Katrantzou has lent her magic touch to projects as wide ranging as designing costumes for the New York City Ballet, collaborating with adidas and creating a sell out denim collection for Current Elliot. One thing’s for sure, whatever the brief Katrantzou’s hand is instantly recognisable. “Architectural, feminine, distinctive, bold, sophisticated,” she says, explaining her designs.

She has settled her studio in Islington, north London, in a sprawling former factory building. “Time flies!” she says of the four and half years she and her team have been there. “London is my base and this is where I have grown my business. It’s a city for creativity and I couldn’t imagine my headquarters being anywhere else.” She continues, “It’s a great place to be an emerging designer, and London offers a support network that allows young designers the opportunity to start their own business. Our colleges teach young designers to challenge themselves which breeds innovation. Contemporaries encourage each other to push boundaries - playing it safe is not the done thing.” Certainly Katrantzou is known for her daring designs. “Louise Wilson, always told me to always be confident in myself,” she says of her formidable former Central Saint Martins tutor.

Technology, she says, has had the biggest impact on the fashion industry in the last decade. “The things that my design team are able to do with the design programmes today astounds me. Technology has resulted in the democratisation of our industry. Catwalk shows that were once for ‘industry’ eyes only are now available instantly around the globe. A teenager in Korea can see images on Instagram taken backstage before an editor sitting on the front row. As designers we are able to reach a global consumer so we have potential customers in emerging markets. The way we communicate has changed and through this interaction we can gauge customer and industry feedback as it happens.”

Katrantzou is constantly checking things off her never-ending to do list. “I struggle to switch off. Even when I’m at home, I’m thinking about the next collection or our sales numbers, an upcoming event…it doesn’t stop. I can go and watch a movie with my boyfriend or we will go to a friend’s place for dinner, but more often than not that friend will be another designer or working within the industry so it’s very difficult to talk about anything else!” What advice and encouragement would she offer today’s aspiring young designers? “Trust your instincts, they’re often right. The industry is fast-paced and there isn’t time for second-guessing, but at the same time it is important to stop sometimes to reassess what you are doing and where you are going.” And what makes a good designer? “Hard work and determination, and the ability to listen to constructive criticism without loosing your own voice along the way.” She concludes, “I try to always remain open-minded and inquisitive. Some of the best advice I’ve ever been given was from my former tutor Professor Louise Wilson who told me, “You will never know if you are good enough if you don’t go out and try.”

Mary Katrantzou showcased it’s SS16 collection at London Fashion Weekend on Friday 26th February 2016.