Yannis Tseklenis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yannis Tseklenis
Yannis Tseklenis (2003)
Born	Ioannis Tseklenis 6 November 1937 Athens, Greece
Died	29 January 2020(2020-01-29) (aged 82)
Nationality	Greek
Label(s)	Tseklenis
Spouse(s)	Aspa Paesmazoglou; 1 son Efi Mela
Awards	Silver Cross of the order of Phoenix Maiden of Cyclades (Hellenic Fashion Centre) Gold Medal of Fashion (Hellenic Fashion Centre) Diolkos Prize of Hellenic Marketing Academy

Yannis Tseklenis (Greek: Γιάννης Τσεκλένης; born November 6, 1937 – died January 29, 2020) was a very famous Greek fashion designer. He was known for bringing Greek fashion to the world stage. His designs were sold in over 30 countries.

Early Life and Education

Yannis Tseklenis was born in Athens, Greece, on November 6, 1937. His father, Costas Tseklenis, was from Pyrgos, a town in Greece. His mother, Melania Pastirmadji, was born in Constantinople. Yannis grew up and went to school in Athens. He studied at Athens College and later at the Moraitis School.

Personal Life

In 1960, Yannis Tseklenis married Aspa Pesmazoglou. They had one son, Constantinos Tseklenis, who was born in 1963. They divorced in 1965. In 1976, Yannis married his second wife, Efi Melas. She was a model and had been crowned Miss Greece in 1954. They had been together since 1965.

What Made Yannis Tseklenis Famous?

Yannis Tseklenis is known as the most important Greek fashion designer of the second half of the 20th century. He helped introduce Greek fashion to the world. His clothing collections were sold in many top stores in over 30 countries between 1965 and 1991.

Inspiration Behind His Designs

During the 1960s and 1970s, Yannis found ideas for his designs from many different cultures. He used patterns inspired by:

• Ancient Greek vases
• Byzantine manuscripts (old handwritten books)
• Traditional Greek wood carvings and paintings
• Art from Africa, China, Indonesia, Russia, and Spain
• Heraldry (symbols and coats of arms)
• Insects and cartoons
• Persian tapestries (woven wall hangings)
• The famous Unicorn tapestries
• Paintings by well-known artists like the Impressionists, El Greco, Henri Rousseau, and Yannis Gaitis.

Expanding the Tseklenis Brand

By the late 1970s and 1980s, the Tseklenis name was on many other products. These included:

• House linens (like bedsheets)
• Wall and floor tiles
• Luggage
• Hosiery (socks and tights)
• Uniforms
• Interior designs for cars, airplanes, and hotels.

Leading fashion writers from around the world praised his work.

Later Work in Design

Later in his career, Yannis Tseklenis focused on designing the inside and outside of buildings. He worked on hotels, luxury homes, and public transport vehicles.

A Closer Look at His Career Journey

Starting in the Family Business (1950s-1960s)

Yannis Tseklenis began working at his father's textile and clothing business when he was just 15. This gave him valuable experience. He also explored his talent for painting and design.

At 24, he started his own advertising company called Spectra Advertising. He created ad campaigns for big companies like Metaxa and General Motors.

In the early 1960s, he helped decorate for important royal weddings in Greece. These included the weddings of Princess Sofia of Greece (who became Queen of Spain) and Anne-Marie of Denmark (who became Queen of Greece).

In 1963, he showed his paintings and drawings at a gallery in Athens.

Launching His Fashion Career (1965)

In 1965, Yannis took over his father's textile business. That same year, he worked with Greek fashion designer Dimis Kritsas. They showed Kritsas's clothes made with Yannis's fabric designs. The show was a huge hit in Athens and New York. A company called Elizabeth Arden Couture bought the entire collection.

In 1966, he licensed his prints to a US company. A writer for The New York Times noted that his prints looked modern but came from ancient sources. This encouraged him to start his own fashion business. By 1967, he had his own fashion stores in Greece. By 1968, he had a small clothing factory in Athens. He also licensed his designs to companies in the UK, Germany, and the US. In 1969, he became the first Greek designer to create a menswear collection in Greece.

Global Expansion and Challenges (1970s-1980s)

In the 1970s, Tseklenis helped organize the first fashion shows in Greece. He also used his international connections to promote other Greek designers. He opened Tseklenis Boutiques in Beirut, Kuwait, and Riyadh. He also had showrooms in Japan, London, and New York.

In 1971, Aristotle Onassis asked him to design the uniforms for flight attendants of his airline, Olympic Airways.

By 1973, Tseklenis was supplying his designs to many top fashion stores in the UK and US. By 1976, there were nine Tseklenis Fashion Boutiques in Greece.

A difficult time came in 1977. Yannis Tseklenis had a serious type of cancer. Doctors had to remove his left arm to stop the cancer from spreading. Even after this, he moved his entire business from Athens to New York. He signed with a company that helped him license his fabrics, children's clothes, and sportswear worldwide.

In 1979, the Metropolitan Museum of Art bought Tseklenis's fashion films for their library.

The Greek government wanted his business to return to Greece. They offered him good conditions, so he moved his business back. He started Tseklenis International Fashion Enterprises in Athens. He opened seven stores inside Minion department stores. However, these plans stopped when the main department store burned down.

The Greek Ministry of Industry asked him to lead the Hellenic Design Centre for two years. This center helped connect Greek designers with manufacturers.

Also in 1979, the car company Fiat asked him to design the interiors and update the look of their FIAT 126 car.

In 1980, Tseklenis opened a new showroom in New York. He continued to expand his business into interior design, home linens, and other home items.

Focus on Interior Design (1990s-Present)

In the 1990s, Tseklenis mostly worked on interior and environmental design projects.

In 1997, he gave almost all his original clothing designs from the 1970s and 1980s to the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation.

The next year, he designed the outside and inside of Athens' public transport (buses and trolleys). In 1999, he designed the new suburban trains for the Hellenic Railways Organization.

Since 2000, he has been in charge of the full interior design for many luxury hotels, resorts, and private homes across Greece. Some examples include Vedema, Zannos Melathron, and Kastelli Resort Santorini. He also worked on luxury villas in Athens and on the islands of Santorini and Mykonos.

Awards and Recognitions

Yannis Tseklenis received several awards for his artistic work in Greece:

• The Silver Cross of the Order of Phoenix from the Greek government.
• The Gold Medal of Fashion from the Hellenic Institute of Fashion.
• The Maiden of Cyclades from the Hellenic Fashion Centre.
• The Diolkos Prize from the Hellenic Marketing Academy.

Exhibitions of His Work

His designs and art have been shown in several exhibitions:

• "Yannis Tseklenis: A Greek Fashion Designer", 1999, Thesion Theatre, Athens, Greece.
• "6 'Universal' Greek Fashion Designers - 4th Greek Fashion Week", 2006, Zappeion, Athens, Greece.
• "6 'Universal' Greek Fashion Designers", 2006, Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus.
• "Endyesthai (To dress). Towards a Costume Culture Museum", 2010, Benaki Museum (Pireos annex), Athens, Greece.
• "Six Universal Greek Fashion Designers from the collection of the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation and Three Contemporary Greek Designers", 2012, Hellenic Centre, London, UK.
• "A Tseklenis Tribute: The 70s Drawings Revisited", 2017, i-D Concept Stores, Athens, Greece.

Images for kids

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  "Impressionists" Collection by Tseklenis, 1971-2. (PFF collection)

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  Onassis was the subject of “Cartoons” Collection by Tseklenis, 1972. (PFF collection)

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  “Insects” by Tseklenis, 1972 (PFF collection)

See also

In Spanish: Yannis Tseklenis para niños