This year, the Greek brand Ancient Kallos celebrates ten consecutive years of a luminous presence in Greek fashion, marked by consistency in its values and inspiration drawn from ancient Greek beauty and authentic Greek tradition. Based in Thessaloniki, Lambrini and Stella Stavrou have, over the years, built a Greek brand, one that today is featured in key fashion destinations hosting resort collections around the world, representing Greek fashion internationally with integrity and distinction.
Throughout the year, a series of elegant events held across various locations in Greece highlighted the brand’s special collaborations. As the culmination of this celebratory year, an anniversary coffee-table book was released, tracing the creative journey of Ancient Kallos. The volume leafs through the brand’s campaign photo shoots, each year captured by distinguished Greek photographers in a different summer destination, pausing at key moments, luminous collaborations, and defining milestones. It unravels a thread of memories and inspiration deeply rooted in Greek tradition.
How was the idea born for a book that captures the creative journey of Ancient Kallos? What does it include, and who is it for?
We felt the need to document this journey, as each photo shoot represents a living memory for us. Through our collections, we always aim to take the world on a journey, connecting light, landscape, and architecture through a contemporary aesthetic lens.
The book presents, in chronological order, the brand’s ten collections, as a journey through time and across Greece, alongside selected homeware and handcrafted objects from our collections, as well as illustrations that enrich the visual narrative. It is addressed to those who love exploration, both literal and through fashion and aesthetics.
Now that it is complete, what do you consider to be its strongest elements?
The vitality of the images and the way the Greek landscape and light are captured through the Kallos lens. The book takes the reader to ten distinct locations across Greece, unfolding like a quiet wander through images, memories, and moments that have shaped our creative path.
A special place is undoubtedly held by the embroidery on the cover, which functions as a tangible vessel of memory, a physical expression of Greek identity. For us, the almost “living” photographs and the dialogue created between fashion, space, and architecture transform the book into an experience. Finally, the release of this collectible anniversary edition in numbered copies marks a milestone for us, as it is the first time the brand’s vision has been translated into a fashion book, a journey told through pages.
Each year marks a stop at a different Greek destination. How has this journey resonated with your audience, both in Greece and abroad?
From our very first steps, we sensed that this continuous journey resonated deeply. Travel, both as a garment and as an idea, was embraced by our audience almost from the first year, in Greece and internationally. Early on, our collections began traveling to selected stores abroad, confirming that Greek aesthetics, when presented with sincerity and consistency, can engage in a global dialogue.
We would like to note that this resonance extends beyond the product itself to the world created around it, a realm of aesthetic experience that allows everyone to feel part of a journey through Greece, regardless of geographical boundaries.
Beyond fashion, are there other creative areas you explore?
Beyond fashion, a broader universe has emerged, one that embraces everyday life and the spaces around us in all their expressions. Our collections include handcrafted jewelry, ceramics, homeware, sunglasses inspired by a museum-like aesthetic, as well as sandals, many created in collaboration with beloved Greek brands.
All these objects are extensions of the same philosophy, grounded in a love for embroidery, Greek identity, refined aesthetics, and timelessness. In this way, we envision Ancient Kallos as a complete lifestyle brand, one that tells a unified story beyond fashion.
How do you feel your aesthetic has evolved over the years?
Our love for Greece, for summer, the islands, and their light, remains at the heart of everything we create. The silk-cotton dresses with their signature buckles, along with linen pieces, are enduring elements of every collection. They return year after year, evolving yet always familiar and beloved. They reflect the elegance and Greek sensibility we strive for, while their airy feel invites the wearer to experience the sense of freedom that accompanies each collection.
Over time, our aesthetic has matured into a dialogue between tradition and contemporary living. Each new collection is not simply a continuation of the previous one; it is a conversation with the past and with the places we visit, where classical Greek references merge with original elements, new textural combinations, handcrafted details, and fresh design solutions that bring a sense of renewal and progression.
How would you like to see Ancient Kallos evolve in the future? What are your plans and your dream project?
We want the brand to continue evolving, reaching more people and traveling even further, both within Greece and internationally, not only through boutiques, but also through art spaces, museums, events, and every expression of ευ ζην (the art of living well).
One of our dreams is to create a space where all of these elements can be experienced simultaneously, fashion, lifestyle, architecture, and handcrafted objects, coming together to form a holistic experience for every visitor. For us, no boundary feels insurmountable. The sky is the limit.
Looking back on the brand’s ten-year journey, which moments will stay with you forever?
We vividly remember the dinner in Syros, as part of our ten-year celebration, set on the ships at one of the island’s most postcard-perfect spots. We remember the emotion of holding the anniversary book in our hands for the first time, as well as those unexpected moments while traveling when we spot women wearing Ancient Kallos, feeling as though they, too, are participating in our story.
And of course, the unforgettable experience of our first participation in Paris Fashion Week, which filled us with pride and inspiration for what lies ahead. All of these moments come together as a canvas of memories that continues to inspire us and remind us of every step along the way.
How important are the collaborations you’ve built and the people you’ve worked with in shaping your success?
Our collaborations are at the very heart of everything we create. Every dress sewn with care, every handcrafted piece of jewelry or object, every photo shoot that brings our collections to life is part of a chain of people who share common values.
Photographers capture atmosphere and light, models bring movement and soul to the images, and each collaborator adds their unique contribution—connecting every stage from design to realization. Every link in this chain is essential. Trust and mutual support transform each success into something living and collective. Each project is not merely an outcome, but a journey shaped step by step together, where every contribution strengthens the next and ultimately forms the final work.
CO FOUNDERS Lamprini Stavrou, Stella Stavrou
CREATIVE DIRECTION & TEXTS Stavroula Kleidaria
ART DIRECTION Yiannis Sigouros
ILLUSTRATIONS Natalia Makri
CONTRIBUTORS
PHOTOGRAPHERS Yiannis Fragos, Mara Desypris, Haris Farsarakis, Mara Lazaridou, Yiorgos Kordakis, POVstudio Ektoras Nikolakis, Christina Dimitriadou, Vicky Tsatsampa
COLLABORATIONS Ancient Greek Sandals, Barbara Mitseli, Katerina Makriyianni, Alexandra Manousakis, Koku concept, Penelope Loom Heritage, Ftoulis Skyrian Ceramics, Choe Candles
COVER EMBROIDERY Trikeri: Kentiseto – Kalymnos: Punchtronic Hellas
