“The snake goddess is a favourite. I must have first laid eyes on her age six or seven. She has exposed breasts, a tiny waist and represents power, beauty and also an element of darkness that framed my aesthetic early on,” Sophia Kokosalaki once told me.
The Greek designer, who has died aged 47, was awarded an Honorary Distinction by the region of Crete in 2018. “Crete is a culture that just keeps on giving. Every time I approach by boat or plane, I feel emotional,” said Kokosalaki, who had family roots on the island and spent many holidays there adventuring to archaeological sites, relishing the sea and the wild nature with her partner, daughter, and friends.
Kokosalaki’s guiding motto was: “Why not? We will do this.” She often made the impossible, possible. With her rare creative talent, honed under the late Louise Wilson while studying for an MA at Central Saint Martins, as well as her innate vision and courage, Kokosalaki scaled challenges professionally, personally and embraced life in all its wondrous and fearsome beauty.
Launching a collection at the turn of the millennium was one such feat. She was at the heart of a fearless creative London uprising led by a new generation that freely criss-crossed street and high fashion, music and art. Kokosalaki brilliantly wove ancient Greek culture with British punkish mores, delivering a tantalising portrait of an empowered yet graceful female identity. Intricate pleating, classical draping, slithery silk jersey, supple, appliquéd leather and breastplate-like bodices were artfully combined to create an aesthetic suggestive of the mythic attributes of goddesses, reworked for the modern world.
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