Christiana Vardakou

Textile dyer

©Christiana Vardakou

©Ioanna Morfinou

©Christiana Vardakou

The promise of colours

Christiana learned her dyeing techniques in South East Asia
She likes to combine digital printing with natural dyes
Nature and travel are her main sources of inspiration

While she was experimenting with natural dyeing in a school workshop, Christiana Vardakou made a promise to herself: “If these colours are so pretty and better for the environment - I’m not going to use chemical dyes again”. And she never did. The Greek textile designer is specialised in natural dyeing and traditional weaving. She mostly dyes using plants from her garden or from Mani, south Peloponnese. After she graduated in Textile Design from the Chelsea College of Arts, Christiana travelled for four months through South East Asia. Across the different countries, she came into contact with craftspeople who taught her their own traditional dyeing techniques. Returning to her home country with greater knowledge, the designer aimed to perpetuate and share her love for textiles.

Interview

©Ioanna Morfinou

©Ioanna Morfinou

When did you decide to pick up this craft?: My second year at Chelsea College of Arts when we were working on a sustainability project. I started reading about natural dyes, I was experimenting with kitchen waste and flowers, leaves from my small Brixton garden…I absolutely fell in love with the colours, how they were matching.
How do you combine tradition and innovation in your work?: Everything I learnt at university and while travelling is incorporated in all of the items I make: dyeing recipes, traditional Laotian weaving patterns, Vietnamese embroidery, Japanese Sashiko…However, I use them in an innovative way, using these techniques to create something modern.
How is your craft linked to your homeland?: Greece used to have a lot of weavers and natural dyers around the country. Unfortunately, these crafts are disappearing. I learnt weaving and natural dyeing in the United Kingdom and South East Asia, but now that I am back in Greece, I am planning to visit villages to meet women who naturally dye.
How would you define what you do?: Choosing to work in a “slow” manner is really important to me. I believe in “slow design” and “emotionally durable design”. I love creating unique pieces that can become loving heirlooms and something that will be passed on. I want my clients to have a relationship with the item they buy.

Christiana Vardakou is a rising star: she began her career in 2019 and she started teaching in 2019