Kridemnon : immortal Veil
Kridemnon means headscarf in Ancient Greek; a divine piece of cloth belonging to goddess Ino that saves Odysseus and takes him from the island of Calypso to the land of Phaeaceans.
Kridemnon also refers to the headscarf of Hecuba, who takes it from her head when she learns about the loss of Hector, her son. Indeed, ever since ancient times the scarf has been an accessory that emphasized people’ s joys and sorrows.
‘Come, take this ‘kridemnon‘ […] it is immortal.’ ‘Come, take this veil and stretch it beneath thy breast. It is immortal; there is no fear that thou shalt suffer aught or perish.’
Homer, Odyssey, Rhapsody e 342-352
‘If only I could find the headscarf of Diogeny that protected him from the sun, the kridemnon of Olympia, carmine in colour and royally decorated with gold jewelry and drenched with the scents of the era, the kridemnon of Antigone that covered her face the night she took her decision. Or the headscarf of Diidamieas that blew in the wind while she was standing at the castle, peering east for the ship of Archilea to show.’
‘Of course I could never feast my eyes on these headscarves, but driven by my desire I have created from scratch the kridemnon that modern women will be able to behold and use to create a new story, thereby giving it significance. What makes an object valuable in my opinion, what will preserve it, is the history of the person who owns and wears it to emphasize her joys and sorrows.’
The first series of Kridemnon consists of and is inspired by the tradition of three islands, of Skyros, Crete and Rhodes. It concerns patterns that we encounter in the art of embroidery of these three islands. The designer Eva Papadopoulou has added her own esthetics to these patterns in order to create compositions that preserve the traditional Greek element, while also updating them in such a way that they have the timelessness and the beauty of the classic, but are modern as well.
Skyros Collection. Inspired by the traditional flower motif of Skyros island found embroidered on local costumes.
Rhodes collection. Inspired by the motif that can be found embroidered on tradition local costumes which have been meticulously passed on by one generation to the next until today.
Crète Collection. Inspired by the motif that can be found embroidered on tradition local costumes which have been meticulously passed on by one generation to the next until today.
The basic idea of Kridemnon, apart from telling Greek tradition, is to support as much as possible the economy of the place that inspired it. This product is printed in local workshops in Greece, the silk comes from Soufli, and skilful and dexterous women of the island of Skyros finish the scarves by hand. All these local businesses and artisans are on a par with their peers abroad and perhaps they are even better. Not only are they experienced professionals, but they cherish their tradition as well. Hence the product they make is of the finest quality.
