DESIGNER'S PROFILE
“The garment is the home of the body.”
An essential truth combined with visual boldness, directs the future aesthetic into the eternal now. The silhouettes of Ioanna Kourbela define their own dimension of archetypal elegance. For Ioanna Kourbela, the movement of the body as well as the dynamic interaction with the garment, constitute the fundamental element of her creative thinking.
Energy from classical and modern art, Greek radiance, natural raw materials, vibrant polymorphic forms, and lines that extend motion, create the ethereal but earthly world of Ioanna. The respect towards man and nature, the instinctive comprehension of traditional ideas and the quest for futuristic harmony, constitute her unique design and expression principles.
Having studied fashion design and painting as well as classes on costume and stage design, her collections are directly inspired by fine arts, theatre, and music as well as by the trends of global fashion thus distinguishing her among the contemporary “ambassadors” of Greek creativity.
Honoring a long tradition in Greek clothing, she took over as creative director of the brand in 2003, presenting the IOANNA KOURBELA BASICS collection that was awarded the Emerging Designer Awards at the international exhibition “PURE” of London in 2016. Today she maintains four pret-a-porter collections that are the following: IOANNA KOURBELA, a pret-a-porter deluxe collection with couture elements, the bridal sur mesure “WHITE COLLECTION” introducing the designer into the world of Haute Couture and lastly, the “EN OIKO” (“in the home” in Ancient Greek)collection that has emerged in order to serve our well-being, expanding the dimension of the body into our personal space with garments, accessories and handy objects made of natural materials. Additionally, she designs costumes for major theater and art performances while sharing her experience and the knowledge she has acquired over the years, as a lecturer in open-call speeches and seminars.
Daily, in every corner of the world, people embrace Ioanna’s design work, “co-traveling” on an aesthetic journey of self-awareness and self-liberation.