A Totem Für Elita is a collection of caremade silk scarves, made so far of 100% Greek silk with the contribution of The Museum Of Silk in Soufli, Northern Greece, inspired by the Greek and other Ancient cultures placed on today's ground. The occasion to breathe life into this idea was my interest in the possible dialogue or impact between mythology-ancient cultures-historical events and the modern people. How for example, a myth or the ground of a myth could be ''enlivened'' and sometimes could acquire a meaningful ''upside'' in order to charge positively the modern man. The myth was always something rigorous in people's mind that could ''touch'' the ''super-ego'' areas of the psyche's structure, the one that play the moralizing-strict role in our lives. So this project focuses on the ''extroversion'' of the myth or even of a historical moment which aims to make people think, smile and be added to his/her clothing. :-)
The name of my brand, the actual name, Elita, it came from a person very closed to me that took the decision to migrate from Greece because of the recent years global crisis, in order to find hope , present and future in another land. The word Totem means an object that has spiritual significance for the members of a society and thereat becomes an emblem. So a Totem Für Elita, is an object that carries spiritual force, designed to become a man's little ''treasure'' in order to keep company and warm the mind and the heart both visually as conceptually. It is like a message in a bottle that depending on the condition of the recipient could be interpreted differently. The ''waters'' in which it moves could bring together three factors :the Aesthetic factor: the composition , the shapes, the colors, the Psychological one: defined by the inner conflicts of the mythical heroes that beyond design ,they come visualized in the symbolic form of mottos that occur during the illustration affecting its flow and its composition and finally the factor that can unite those two previous: the whole of the silk scarf, as a fashion accessory as a design object.
''A Totem Für Elita'' is all about '' impossible encounters'' that motivate us to expand experience on the occasion of the myth. Certainly the entire ground of mythology is moving on impossible-symbolic encounters, one that to find a golden fleece guarded by a fierce dragon on a tree is not the most ordinary thing to happen. Apart from that , symbols of the Greek Culture can meet with symbols of the Pop Culture, or with fairytale heroes or even with film heroes in order to result new modern narratives . A hybrid visual ground of expression is created suggesting old ideas in a new way, or completely new synergies.
A few more words about the concept behind the scarves
My design proposal-at least the most representative one referring to the Greek Mythology series in which gave the name Greek Tales- has to do with the creation-formation of the hero by his outline, which would be consisted by the character's name, for being able to memorized-recognized easily by its viewer. For example the word Hercules and a ''word pattern'' something like a personal motto that was born and recordedin me the moment i was grappling with each illustration, is one of the key elements of the whole composition. This motto plays a certain role because brings out the identity of the hero and sometimes an interpretation of his psychological situation. So, beside the design proposal another proposal is standing next concerning the mythological interpretation.
In most of my compositions there is a playful or even slightly ''teaching'' disposition. My approach is based on a voluntary ethos reversal, given either one of the characters of myth, such as the Lernaean Hydra, for instance, that appears rather in love with Hercules than hostile. This verbal message that reverses somehow or else attempts to change the psycological showdown between heroes, changing it with a plus sign, in the form of a personal opinion or a personal truth tested and applied through experience, differentiate the whole concept of the scarf. Through the mythological struggle of each representation there is a need to give a tinge of optimism and an ''experimental'' admonition through new messages and significations, The intention is symbolic , as it happens all over the mythological ray. ''Do love your Labyrinth and the Minotaur will disappear''. :-)
By Loula Levedi
