♦How important is the handmade process to you today?
The handmade process is of significant importance to me. It allows me to feel a deeper connection with my clients, work closely with the metal, and gain greater control over the final result. Using a more affordable material can enhance its value when crafted with care, as if it were a precious metal. It’s important to note that copper is the second most valuable metal after silver.
♦Is there any material that is creatively challenging you at the moment?
Currently, I am looking to further expand my use of materials by incorporating a challenging and incompatible one—plexiglass. On this medium, I imprint designs and colors as I envision them and combine it with my metal, whether it’s oxidized or plated.
♦What does the transition from descriptive animal forms to abstract shapes mean to you?
The shift to abstract shapes was necessary to change the thematic direction of my jewelry. I aimed to create pieces that resonate with customers’ subconscious and tell stories that touch deeper emotions than animal forms.
♦How does the memory of the loom and childhood imagery function in your recent work?
Memories operate instantly and unconsciously within each of us. They evoke a time when people still sewed their own fine clothing, surrounded by embroidery, threads, canvases, needles, and fabrics in their homes. These materials served as a three-dimensional extension of the two-dimensional world portrayed in my drawings.
♦Do the shapes (circle, square, triangle) hold any symbolic meaning for you?
The circle represents the course of life. The triangle symbolizes relationships, and the square denotes obligations.
♦How do you translate light and shadows into metal?
Light transforms into shine, plating, and intense oxidation. Shadows manifest as black, matte surfaces, reflecting the hidden sadness you carry.
♦What does collaborating with museums such as the Benaki Museum, EMST, and recently the Goulandris Foundation mean to you?
My collaborations with museums began around 2005 when Despoina Geroulanou visited my store in Aegina. I collaborated with the Benaki Museum on Koumbari Street for several years. During this time, the museum shop featured my jewelry as part of its 25th anniversary celebration.
Later, I collaborated periodically with the Benaki Museum on Pireos Street and the Theocharakis Foundation. In 2024, I began collaborating with EMST. This year, the museum shop showcases my small animal pieces as part of the “Animals” exhibition.
For the Goulandris Foundation Museum, I draw inspiration from works in its collection to create unique jewelry for the shop. Currently, I have pieces inspired by the iconic work featured in the current exhibition—Monet’s “Water Lilies.”
♦If you had to describe the ideal profile of a woman wearing your jewelry in London, what would it be?
She would embody a woman in harmony with the city’s multicultural character, embracing artistic pursuits and social issues. She is a woman who appreciates diversity, strives to stand out, creates trends, seeks joy, and invites adventure. Independent yet emotional, she is authentic, slightly mischievous, and possesses youthful energy, regardless of age. She may be a person who was not born a woman. She has chosen to become one—a person with an inclusive mindset and a heart full of love for all living creatures.
♦How was the idea of combining metal with fabric born?
The idea originated from my walks in downtown Athens, an area rich with fabric shops. As I admired the beautiful fabrics and their varied textures and colors, I found myself wishing I could wear them. Since I don’t have dressmaking skills—though mastering them is a goal of mine—I decided to incorporate those vibrant fabrics into my jewelry instead.
♦What does fabric add in terms of texture and emotion to a piece of jewelry?
Fabric softens the rigidity of metal, allowing you to transcend logic and drift into dreams and imagination. The sturdy metal serves as the foundation, while the fabric, delicately placed in bezels instead of stones, weaves another tale—one that is sweeter and warmer, filled with memories that engage both touch and sight.
♦How would you describe the woman who will choose this new, more luminous version of your work?
The woman who will wear my new collection is innovative, bold, and different. A person who leads rather than follows. Someone who surrenders to imagination and magic does not seek the conventional and avoids being confined by the familiar and established. (The rest I describe in the previous paragraph.)
♦What does it mean to you to present your jewelry through street photography at London Fashion Week?
London is a city I would consider living in. It is modern and multicultural, and I loved the energy it exudes. The city is progressive and aligns well with my temperament. I am excited to showcase my jewelry on its streets, as I feel at home there. Being of Mediterranean origin, I appreciate how London embraces diversity.
♦If one of your pieces could “speak” through a street in London, what would you want it to say?
Leave logic and routine aside for a while and travel into imagination and the magic of life, within everyday reality, with small touches of beauty.
♦What does London symbolize as a fashion capital for a Greek designer?
The metropolis of an advanced and inclusive way of life and expression—and therefore creation.
♦What phrase would summarize your philosophy as a designer?
Don’t be boring or predictable! There are no limits.
♦Is there a keyword that often repeats in your mind when you create?
Surprise!
Handmade JEWELLERY Stories
♦Top Jewelry Trends 2026 by Miaou Niaou Barbara Perrakis:
Take Over London Fashion Week 2026!
Instagram: @ miaouniaou_barbaraperrakis
♦London Fashion Week Street Style February 2026
♦Creative concept, styling by Chrysanthi Kosmatou, Editor of Think-Feel-Discover.com
♦Photo credits by Mark Paul London, Instagram: @ markpaulldn
♦Fashion Sunglasses by VEDOSPECTACLES, Instagram: @ vedo.spectacles
