YANNIS TSEKLENIS

DESIGNER

Yannis Tseklenis: 06/11/1937 - 29/01/2020

Ο αγαπητός φίλος και συνεργάτης Γιάννης Τσεκλένης μας έκανε την τιμή να μας εμπιστευθεί εδώ και πολλά χρόνια την παρουσίαση των δημιουργιών του στο διαδίκτυο. Λυπηθήκαμε πάρα πολύ που μάθαμε ότι απεβίωσε την Τετάρτη! Παρουσιάζουμε τα ειλικρινή Συλληπητήρια μας στο οικογενειακό του περιβάλλον.

Our dear friend and partner Yiannis Tseklenis gave us the honor of trusting us to present his creations online since many years. We were extremely sad to learn that he passed away on Wednesday! We present our sincere Condolences to his family.

EURAN, European Art Networks, Stockholm, Sweden 31/01/2020

BIOGRAPHY

YANNIS TSEKLENIS, DESIGNER
1965 - 2018: 53 YEARS OF CREATIONS
Fashion design, Uniforms' design, Industrial design, Morphology, Interior design

Yannis Tseklenis is considered as the name and the talent that has put Greece on the contemporary fashion map. His creations since 1965 have been carried by leading stores in more than 20 countries and Tseklenis has won a niche in the wardrobe of thousands of well-dressed women, men and children.

Yannis Tseklenis has established a name in the international fashion market for designing thematic fabric and fashion collections. Some indicative sources that he has used have been: The Ancient Greek Vases, the Byzantine manuscripts, the Greek wood carvings and paintings, African Art, Indonesian Art, Heraldry, the Insects, Cartoons, the Persian Tapestries, Chinese Art, Spanish Art, Aegean Art, the Unicorn Tapestries and the paintings of the Impressionists, of Dominicos Theotokopoulos, of Henri Rousseau and Yannis Gaitis.

The Tseklenis signature could be also found on distinguished lines of linens, wall and floor tiles, luggage, hosiery, career uniforms and interiors of cars, aircraft and hotels. Recently he has been mainly active in supervising artistically the creation of hotels, housing settlements and the design of public transport vehicles and other relative equipment.

You are welcome to download the following document: Culture and Fashion: A Case Study on Greek Designer Yannis Tseklenis

YANNIS TSEKLENIS (CHRONOLOGY)

1937 Born in Athens.
1953 Wins Athens College prize for painting.
1956 Gets employed in family couture-fabric retail business.
1957 Wins Eastern Mediterranean Cup of Star Class in sailing. Starts car racing.
1961 Establishes Spectra Advertising. Among the company's clients: METAXA, AEGEAN MILLS, GENERAL MOTORS.
1962 By appointment of the late King Paul decorates the ATHENS CATHEDRAL for the wedding of Princess Sofia of Greece to Juan Carlos of Spain.
1963 Exhibits his paintings in ARCHITECTONIKI in Athens.
1964 Decorates the ATHENS CATHEDRAL for King Constantine's wedding to Princess Anna Maria of Denmark.
1965 Succeeds to the ownership of the family business and tries his hand in fabric design. Presents his work during the Mediterranean Fashion Festival. Achieves an opening in the US Market. Designs fabrics for Elizabeth Arden Couture of New York.
1966 Licenses his prints to the US firm Puritan Fashions Corporation.
1967 Establishes the TSEKLENIS chain of boutiques in Greece.
1968 Licenses his print dresses designs to Berketex (UK). American Celanese employs him to design for 10 knitters manufacturers in Germany. Starts a small garment manufacturing operation in Athens.
1969 Designs menswear to be included in the TSEKLENIS boutiques primarily. Licenses his collection to the US firm David Crystal Inc. Licenses his hosiery designs to Berkshire Hellas.
1970 Organises the first Group Fashion showings in Athens. Licenses his ladies dresses to Frank Usher (UK). Licenses his hosiery designs to Madison S.A.
1971 Branches out his boutiques to Beirut and Kuwait to be followed by a boutique in Riyadh. Designs the uniforms of Olympic Airways hostesses. Launches his first collection of furnishing fabrics in Athens, Paris and London.
1972 Licences his swimwear to Benger Ribana in Germany. Establishes TSEKLENIS MANUFACTURING LTD in Athens.
1973 Opens permanent showrooms in London and New York and supplies the top stores of UK and US.
1974 Inaugurates the ultra-modern TSEKLENIS garment manufacturing plant near Athens. Designs the uniforms for two Greek Banks and Air Malta.
1975 Adds to the TSEKLENIS chain of boutiques the new CARAVEL boutique in Athens. At this point the world's top stores in 24 countries carry the TSEKLENIS creations.
1976 Presents a Persian inspired collection in Iran, and expands the TSEKLENIS collaboration with Iranian firms.
1977 Enters Memorial Hospital in New York and undergoes an operation of amputation of his left arm to prevent a reoccurrence of cancer. Starts his collaboration with Greece's largest department stores MINION SA, designing school-gear. In August, because of a prolonged problem with the Greek banking system, the entire operation in Greece, factory and boutique chain closes down. He moves to New York where he signs with the International Management Group, which represent him thereafter internationally for licensing his fabrics, children wear, and sportswear.
1978 The absence of the TSEKLENIS firm from the Greek industry and market becomes a socioeconomic issue in Greece, and he is offered acceptable terms to return.
1979 In collaboration with the MINION stores he establishes "TSEKLENIS INTERNATIONAL FASHION ENTERPRISES", producing and distributing lines for Ladies, Menswear, Accessories, Bodywear, Action-Sportwear and Linens (7 boutiques installed in MINION stores). The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquires TSEKLENIS fashion films. The Hellenic Ministry of Industry assigns him to head the "HELLENIC DESIGN CENTRE". FIAT assigns him to design interiors for the FIAT 126 Personal.
1980 Achieves a comeback in the US market and opens a new showroom on Fifth Avenue.
1981 Starts a licensing program for swimwear, actionwear and rainwear to leading Greek firms. Re-enters the UK market.
1982 Works with Thessaloniki Fair for Hellenic Collections. Launches TSEKLENIS JEANS.
1983 Illustrates Roula Alavera's poem AKIDIA and exhibits the originals in Athens and Thessaloniki.
1984 Opens the "TSEKLENIS PLATEAU" in Athens. Art-directs Tsilifonis' award-winning film "The City Never Sleeps". Designs uniforms for Municipal and Hellenic Police. Launches tiles and bed sheets.
1985 Opens 4 new boutiques in Greece.
1987 Appointed chairman of Piraiki-Patraiki cotton manufacturing SA.
1988 Launches fragrances PAN (men) and NYMPHE (women). Designs interiors of the OLYMPIC AIRWAYS fleet.
1989 Resigns from Piraiki-Patraiki. Designs silver tableware and accessories.
1990 Designs a complete line of ceramics for the table.
1991 Launches the "Electronic House 2000" futuristic project with Ingrid Fragantoni.
1992 Art-directs the VEDEMA HOTEL complex in Santorini.
1993/4 Art-directs presidential cottages in Lagonissi Hotel. Designs uniforms for Hellenic Railways, Hellenic Festivals, and Hellenic Duty Free Shops.
1995 Designs silk accessories for Ilias Lalaounis, Biomagnetic Hosiery/Shoes for Slim International, and aircraft interiors for Hellenic Aerospace Industries.
1996 Designs interiors and exteriors for Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) trains and buses.
1997 Donates his entire archive and archetype garments to the Peloponnesean Folklore Foundation.
1998 Designs buses and trolleys for Athens. Art-directs ZANNOS MELATHRON hotel in Santorini.
1999 Designs suburban trains for OSE. Presents 13 episodes of "The good and reverse side" on national television. Publishes TSEKLENIS’ SCRAP BOOK.
2000 Designs natural gas buses for Athens. Artistic consultant for KATHIMERINI building.
2001 Upgrades SANTORINI – KASTELLI RESORT HOTEL.
2002 Designs LA MALTESE Restaurant and DANAI BEACH RESORT.
2003 Designs staff uniforms for Hotel Grande Bretagne and Porto Carras. Designs private villas.
2004 Designs stone house settlement on Tinos and his family house in Dionyssos.
2006 Restores landmark buildings in Metaxourgio.
2007 Completes private residence in Dionyssos.
2008 Telloglio Foundation exhibits his El Greco inspired collection alongside Picasso.
2009-2011 Restores a mansion in Exo Gonia, Santorini.
2012 Art-directs construction of housing settlements in Mykonos.
2013 Honored with doctoral theses presentations (Aristotle University & Cyprus University) and receives the Diolkos Prize.
2014-2016 Renovation projects in Santorini and launch of remake silk foulards with Tsiakiris Silk House.
2017 Exhibits original fabric designs at i-D Concept Stores; collaborates with Sofia Kokosalaki and Angelos Bratis.
2018 Designs interiors of Ammada Colossos Resort & Spa villas in Rhodes.

AWARDS

SILVER CROSS OF THE ORDER OF PHOENIX
MAIDEN OF CYCLADES (HELLENIC FASHION CENTRE)
GOLD MEDAL OF FASHION (HELLENIC FASHION INSTITUTE)
DIOLKOS PRIZE OF THE HELLENIC MARKETING ACADEMY

Yannis Tseklenis is married to Efi Melas and has a son, Constantinos, a conceptual artist, from his first marriage.