CocoAndSilk was established in late 2015. The main idea was to create beautiful clothing, using the best quality materials while paying great attention to the final result. All pieces are designed and manufactured in Athens, Greece, by small independent production units made up mainly of women.
”Thus, we are able to create strong bonds with our partners, keep track in every single garment sewn while at the same time keeping our creations in limited numbers.”
Our aim is to produce top quality and high aesthetic clothing, bringing the joy of luxury to every day dressing.
Konstantina Alveratsidou, with her basic studies in architecture and house design, jumped into fashion, a great love of hers ever since she can remember herself.
“Here at CocoAndSilk we believe that fashion is every woman’s right. The idea was to create long-lasting apparel using the best quality fabrics, while paying attention to detail. Our clothes are produced by small, independent production units, which means that we are able to keep track of every single garment sewn, while at the same time keeping our creations to limited numbers. At Cocoandsilk we’re not interested in mass production. Our aim is to produce top-quality clothing in small quantities, bringing to our customers the joy of luxury to everyday dressing”.
AN INTERVIEW WITH KONSTANTINA ALVERATSIDOU, FOUNDER OF CocoAndSilk
Describe CocoAndSilk as a brand in few words and what’s the mission to it?
CocoAndSilk is a forward-looking, sustainable brand that makes garments to be worn from day to night promoting everyday luxury for shoppers all over the world.
Where do you find your inspiration for unconventional ideas?
Everything really. Traveling and being open to new experiences, but most of all my beautiful daughter. She’s a basket of sunshine, sweet, funny, a real life bomb!
How do you find the right relationship between the concept, design and fabrics?
They’re interconnected so adapting easily is important, without losing the creativity that drives you. There is no specific order about which one will come first. Sometimes a fabric will give me inspiration for a design, while other times a concept in my head will influence me into designing something.
How fashion nowadays helps and motivate you to become a fashion designer?
To me, the simple answer is; fashion is everywhere and influences everything and everyone. We live in an era where the trends can travel all around the world in a matter of seconds. Everything moves extremely quickly. In this way, anyone gets the chance of at least seeing what fashion has to offer for them and therefore, get inspired to become a designer. However, the thing is, there is so much quantity-wise in this industry, which is dominated and almost monopolized by the huge brands, that it is extremely difficult for a new designer to stand in his/her own feet.
Is CocoAndSilk positioned itself as a sustainable brand? What do you think of fast fashion?
Being sustainable was one of the main principles of CocoAndSilk since day one. CocoAndSilk is both an ethical and sustainable brand. Our fabrics are environmentally friendly with no toxic chemicals in them, mostly focusing in silk and cotton. From the beginning we chose to create strong relationships with the people making the clothes. Since all of the clothing is made in Athens Greece, we know exactly who made every single garment. Some years ago, being ethical as a brand, was not something being talked about. We are glad to see that in the past few years with the FASHION REVOLUTION and #WhoMadeMyClothes campaigns the consumer is starting to become more aware of the problems fast fashion is causing. The truth is, fast fashion will probably never be completely eliminated, but the costumers have began realizing the real impact of a $2 t-shirt.
You want to make long-lasting fashion. How do you want to achieve that?
Long-lasting does not necessarily mean conservative or boring. Our collections always have a specific concept in mind. Using these items a woman can create a wardrobe with both staples and more interesting pieces, that are eventually creating the long lasting wardrobe.
How do you determine what is durable design?
This is obviously objective to each person’s perception of style and what is durable as a design. That being said, the main point is that you cannot (most-likely) predict the future trends. As a designer, I may have crazy ideas, but as a consumer I know what I would buy and get wear out of. I try to cooperate those two “personas” to come up with both durable and unique designs.
What is the biggest challenge for you regarding the fashion buying market?
In this fast changing market almost everything is a challenge. I would say to create your own personal path and impact as a designer and a brand. To get noticed and be identifiable.
What happens to that part of a collection that does not get sold?
Generally the amount of stock left in a collection is very limited to non-existent. This is because, the online store, functions using Just-In-Time management, in which the production of a piece begins when a sale has been made. In this way, we ensure that clothing is not being thrown away.
How far do you go in terms of sustainability?
As far as it may! It is a very important aspect for our brand. We use sustainable and recyclable materials and only collaborate with sustainable fabric factories. If fabric is left, there are new, exclusive garments being made to use it creatively. Our packaging is also recyclable. Apart from that, we are in control of our productions knowing exactly who made each clothing piece and pay fair wages per garment. This ensures the quality and the attention to detail being given to each and every bit of our collections.
Where could you serve as a role model for other young brands?
We stand with any young brands and designers wanting to make an impact in the crazy world of fashion. I don’t quite know if the brand is yet successful enough for myself to be considered a role model, but through it all, we know we’ve stayed true to our original beliefs, ideas, and style. This is why we invite them to fight for their new and fresh ideas, because cliché as it may sound, if everyone thought the same it would be boring.
For orders, visit the official website: https://www.cocoandsilk.com/
LOOKS COCOANDSILK SPRING/SUMMER 2019
33 MAGAZINE 