Theodore Leventakis for Utopian Magazine.

Theodore Leventakis is a fashion designer based in Paris right now. He started his career from an early young age. At the age of 19, he worked in Athens and Milan with the fashion designer Angelos Frentzos and he continued with several other international designers while he was creating his personal collections. He designs unique Haute Couture pieces with an innovative dramatic aesthetic, both womenswear and menswear and his future are really promising.

What sparked your interest in fashion?

All started when I was a child and I used to make paintings and sculptures. I always had deep interest in fashion, art and music, I born like this. From the fine school of arts, randomly I found myself in an industrial design school after my parent’s encouragement. There I realized that I couldn’t express myself in this field so I had to find a different area. Taking part in fashion design classes make me understand from the first lesson that fashion is what I want to do in my life.

What made you take fashion more seriously and make a career out of it?

When I had my first fashion lesson, I was sure that this is gonna be my future life work so I was so focused and serious to make a career as a designer. At the same time with my studies I started working with prestigious designers in their studios that was a real school for me and there I confirmed that fashion was my destiny.

Are you self-taught or did you study fashion design?

As I already mentioned I studied fashion design.

From where are you getting your inspiration?

History of Art, History of Costume and the Golden Historical Ages of France are some of my main sources of inspiration. Also, my Greek background is always there. Contemporary art, urban life and street style mixed with the symbolism period of poetry and literature are what awake my interest the most.

How do you describe your work?
A modern dramatic – mysterious Haute couture.

Does your approach differ when designing menswear compared to womenswear?

For sure there are differences when you design for a man and for a woman. But the main atmosphere in my designs for the both genders is quite the same. I like to work with haute couture technics in menswear like the womenswear. In our times the bounds between the two genders are fluid.

What are you fascinated by at the moment and how does it feed into your work?

I am excited with the real old French haute couture technics and the French history of costume and culture. The glorious 60s and 70s decades in Paris like the nouvelle vague wave on French cinema and the golden years of Le Palace club with all this mysterious and luxury nightlife of Paris are speaking deep on my heart. So, I want to mix all these with the current trends in a really new modern way.

What is the biggest lesson that you have learned since you started working in the fashion industry?

The biggest lesson that I have learned is to be really patient, perfectionist and focused in your job. You have to keep up with what is happening globally in each period of time because fashion has to following the changes.

What are your future plans in Paris?

First of all, je J’aimerais apprendre la culture française and I want to work for a big French Haute Couture Maison.