Profile

Last updated 13:03 Wed 11 Oct 2006

wHO IS FILEP MOTWARY
...well, I was born in Cyprus sometime in 1977. My father is a Syrian, mother Cypriot. I got raised in Cyprus, a country that even today I am not really sure whether I love or hate. My parents gave me complete freedom on my choices. I was never asked where I'm going or when I'm coming back. I started travelling very young, mostly by myself. So far I only fell in love once at the age of 18. I never felt like this again. I am still in love with the same person even now, ten years later. We are no longer together though...At 19 I went to Milan to study Fashion Design and Pattern Cutting. I stayed there six months and then switched Italy with Greece. I came to Athens with just one suitcase and no friends or any people I knew of..I enrolled at a Fashion School and at the same time I became a go-go dancer just to be able to pay my college fees and rent. My parent's wanted me to become a doctor or a teacher. I thought of both proffessions as the most boring at the time. The thing I really wanted to be was a classical ballet dancer. I was never sent to classes though because I was too shy to express my wish. I would have been the best, I know that..I feel it.. As a young boy I was a big liar saying only imaginery things and even talked to myself and responded back.My relatives thought I was weird, my mother didn't.. Nobody really paid any attention though . Fashion was always around in my home. My mother is a dress maker and we always had ladies ordering their dresses or doing fittings. I was always saying my opinion and I only liked the beautifull ones and I was really horrible with the ugly. Anyhow, as I said before I came to Athens, studying to become a designer. At college I was always fighting with my tutors. I think they hated the fact that I had so much knowledge about fashion, history of fashion, designers old and new, photographers....If they said something wrong they couldn't get away with it. When I finished with that school, I became a stylist's assistant to Nicholas Georghiou. A person whose vision and talent helped me open my eyes and look further. I worked with him for the greek version of L'officiel, Vogue Hellas, Vitrine, Diva, Vimadonna. Our collaboration didnt last more than a year. I wanted more, I wanted to make clothes. I put together a portfolio and started knocking the doors of the Greek designers I liked at the time. I was lucky enough to be hired at Loukia, the Couture Madame . We worked together for four and a half years. At the same time I put together my personal line of clothing "Soit L'autre" which I was selling at Bettina Boutique and The Afternoon shop in Kolonaki. I was really proud that my clothes were hanging next to Comme des Garcons, Balenciaga, Sophia Kokosalaki... Athens was too small for me. I wanted to move to Paris. I thought that maybe somebody was waiting for me there and I was right. This is when Absolut Vodka of sweden invited me to take part in their new project. They chose ten young designers from around the world including Yazbukey, Charles Anastase, Dedicated followers of Fashion, La casita De Wendy....pARIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A MISSION IMPOSSIBLE if some very kind people didn't offer me their help: my friends, family and even my stepmother whom I have never met ..My dream at the time was to work for Alber Elbaz. One week after my arrival in Paris, I received a call from Mme Tondi at Lanvin. They wanted me for a week's "stage" . I never managed to take the position though because I was missing a certificate from my college in Athens..I was devastated!!! Crying while sitting on the grass of a park opposite the Habitat shop at Republigue square. My friend/designer Yvan Mispelaere advised me to enroll again at any school to get provided with the bloody paper and so I did. A week later I was hired at John Galliano for a three months "stage" again. The experience was fantastic. When I finished the intership I got myself another one chez maison Chloe. I am happy I met Phoebe and John and all the great people who work with them.... I am also happy that I met my BLOG mentor Diane Pernet and also for the fact that I have my own blog, thanks to her encouragement... I still contribue to A Shaded view on Fashion from time to time....My money started going "low". Paris for me is the ultimate place to live. I could never imagine that I would have met people like Martine Sitbon, Marc Ascoli, Yvan Mispelaere, Daria Werboy,Jean Jacques Picart, Patrick Robinson, Victor Glemaud, Erin Wasson, Yuergen Teller, Charlotte Rampling, most OF THEM PERSONAS I saw as heroes as a teenager...I needed to find a solution and the only one I got was to return back to Athens. I suffered from deep deppression for more than three months. I have started working again in Athens, this time with Maria Mastori. My collection is back on track again so is my life and I am happy for this. On April 2006 third Hellenic Fahion week I presented my first catwalk show, with Maria Mastori's Jewellery collection, in Athens. It went pretty well and now I am prepairing with Maria for the next one. Meanwhile, I started contributing in foreign magazines with fashion illustrations and essays on Fashion.
FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO CONTACT ME OR WANT TO BECOME A CORRESPONTENT FOR "uN NouVeau Ideal " please do not hesitate writing an email at filep.motwary@gmail.com If you want to invite me to an event or anything that might be interesting my address is FILEP MOTWARY@MARIA MASTORI STUDIO, 20 Alopekis street KOLONAKI/ATHENS P.C 10675 TEL/FAX +30210 7295077...

Website: www.filepmotwary.blog.com