Meet Katerina Psaltos

Katerina Psaltos is a Greek fashion designer based in New York whose work filters romance, texture, and form through a lens of quiet observation, finding meaning in what fashion tends to dismiss.

A look at Psaltos’ Collection, Trella: Look 3. An emphasis on ruffles, imperfections, and monochromatic grayscale tones. Photograph via Kat Psaltos on Instagram. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

How has your Greek background influenced your approach to fashion design?

“I do think that growing up Greek was a more conservative upbringing. My parents are very traditional, even though they’re not immigrants, my grandmother was, so my mom had that growing up. My dad’s family was the same way. I think when you’re raised Greek, there is more tradition involved because family life and culture matter so much, which has set into how I design. I think my career aesthetic is more traditional but in a mere romantic way. I don’t think I’m fashion forward, but I like to think I create new garments based on old aesthetics and trends. I use a lot of traditional techniques as well. I like needlepoint, I like lace. Lacework is something that a lot of the women in our village used to do. It definitely has changed my aesthetic, I grew up around that a lot.”

Now that you’re working with an American brand, Coach, how do you feel conforming to the Western culture? Does any of that Greek heritage seep through or is it more muted?

“It’s definitely more muted. I don’t really think Greek culture has been a huge part of my process, it might even be the opposite. Growing up, my mom was always very obsessed with Western culture, specifically Western Europe. She has always loved French and English culture, so that’s more of where my references came from. We used to watch Downton Abbey and all those period pieces, which is so interesting. She’s a first generation American, so you’d think that there would be more Greek influence but there’s not. I went to Greek school, but I think my mom wanted us to fit into Western culture.”

As a part of your design process, are you attracted to specific fabrics or silhouettes? What are your preferences motivated by?

“I prefer anything that is a romantic silhouette or fabric, like lace. Really anything feminine and intricate. I also really appreciate silk, like a crinkled chiffon, or even a printed organza. I don’t know why I have an affinity towards those fabrics, but they really work well with the designs I put together. I have a romantic approach to silhouette as well. Anything that’s ruffled or draped, or really anything that’s been manipulated. I’m definitely a maximalist in my approach. I don’t play with color, I like to use white and black a lot, I actually only use white and black. But that’s because I think texture and silhouette matter more to me, and I would rather play around with the silhouette and manipulation of fabric rather than color. Having too many variables that you play with really leads you to a design that’s too busy, which is why if I’m going to play with texture and volume, I’d rather not play with color.”

The Fluted Pant. Intricately designed and sewn by Kat Psaltos. Each piece is one inch of fabric cut on the bias and sewn to the power mesh base. Image via Katerina Psaltos. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Tell me about your favorite piece that you’ve designed.

“It’s definitely my fluted pants. When I made it, it was one of the most difficult pieces I’ve ever put together. The fluted pants are on a power mesh base. Each piece that you see is one inch of fabric, cotton poplin, that was cut on the bias in order to be stretchy. Then, I hand sewed it to the power mesh base. It was so complicated, and it definitely shows. There are easier ways to have achieved this, but I didn’t know. I think what makes it so special is that when someone looks at it, they don’t understand the complexities of making it. But when you feel it, you know the work that went into it. You can physically see each piece hand stitched to the base. I love pieces that have intricate elements that are challenging to make, and that are also emotional to look at. I want anyone who looks at my work to feel something. I don’t necessarily know what that emotion would be, but I would like them to feel something.”

What do you think is the main emotion you experience that drives your designs?

“It’s love. I think everything I make comes from a part of me that is a romantic. I want everything to have a beautiful story even if it’s not beautiful. A lot of the pieces I make are images of things that I found in New York City that were either overlooked or not exactly beautiful. But I saw beauty in them, and turned them into something others could find beauty in. I think love is the main motivator behind my thesis piece too, called Trellas. In Greek, the word trella has two meanings: madness or excitement. I thought that was really interesting. Based on your outlook on life, it could be a bad thing or a good thing.”

What kinds of discourse do you hope is sparked by your work, as it relates to identity and fashion origins?

“I want people to think about what it means to be inspired by something. I think so many people go to The Met and look at prints or embroideries that people have done in the past. That’s definitely very interesting, but I think it’s important to find things that are around you that inspire you because you look at those things everyday. I don’t want people to constantly find beauty in the things that are already beautiful. I want people to look at things that are typically unnoticed. I hope that's what people think of when they look at my designs, and I hope that’s how they approach life around them. There’s beauty in everything, and that’s what I really want people to get to through my work. You should never overlook anyone or anything. Trust me, everyone has the capacity to achieve greatness and follow their dreams. Just because you don’t look like what someone expects you to look like, or have what people expect you to have, it doesn’t mean you can’t achieve things. I hope that that’s what my work inspires in people.”