Surrounded by the chaos that is a photoshoot, Murkudis walked us through his entire FW12 collection which was inspired by artists Eileen Grey and Charlotte Perriand with loose referencing to the 30’s.

KM: “Most of the designs are looking backwards, historical pieces.

DP: “Like the 30’s”

KM:  “I don’t like to think of 30’s or the 40’s, I took it from there but it has nothing to do with it…I try to work around certain ideas and reinterpret them. ”

Being present for the mood shots was ideal as we got to see Murkudis' inspiration directly juxtaposed with his actual collection. While the reference to his inspiration is apparent from the strict lines and heavy loaded materials, it is by no means “obvious” and has not restricted Murkudis in the way he chooses to interpret it.

KM: “He’s actually a friend of mine, he’s probably passing by…He’s called me twice, I should really call him back!”

Expected at the same photoshoot was Carsten Nicolai, Kostas’ ongoing creative collaborator and the man behind the brilliant visual art of the SS12 Berlin show. 

DP: “You have said in the past that there is a lot of creative energy in Berlin.."

KM: “There is a lot of creative energy, but it’s more in the field of art and architecture, it’s stronger for those two but less for fashion".

Although he would prefer to show in Paris, he “simply can’t afford it anymore” and will be showing at home in Berlin for the second time. Berlin may be considered by many to be a creative capital but Murkudis does not feel its fashion week is quite there yet.

DP:  “So when did your relationship with sequins begin?”

KM:  “Since the beginning, since my first show, but this time I covered it with the foam!”

His sequins are given a more strict role to play in this collection by complementing one of his more robust high tech materials, technical foam. A futuristic feel is inevitable when using foam but the clever combination with silk manages to bring it down from the slopes. Along with the foam, Murkudis, who is always on the look-out for new, unexpected materials to incorporate in his designs, this time visits the Italian police to find his “edge”. A reflective material used by the Italian police runs through the collection, other times used as a graphical/geometric representation while others, as a carefully hidden finishing touch.

 DP: “Do you think the market has learned to love high tech materials?”

KM: “I don’t really care!I do what I feel, what I believe”

Although we remain sceptic when it comes to high tech materials, we have to admit Murkudi’s work made us question that stance. His level of blending two, often very different surfaces together is such that he can mix high tech materials with silks and cashmere without being termed “avant-garde”. 

DP: “Do you enjoy the term avant-garde?”

KM: “What is avant-garde today?”

Murkudis constantly offers his aesthetic to a plethora of high end brands helping them vamp up their image. He told us about his future collaborations which include jewellery with Swarovski and underwear with Zimmerli of Switzerland due in July. Aside from his ongoing collaboration with Carsten Nicolai, Murkudis is also planning a much anticipated collaboration with dancer William Forsythe next year. 

Murkudis' approach is one open to the unexpected, open to different opinions, different points of view, but when viewing his work there is a highly distinctive feel to it and you are given the sense of a uniformly executed approach, to a carefully set out vision.

A bit later we were joined by Carsten Nicolai who dropped in to discuss the collection and photoshoot with Kostas. We left impressed by the technical expertise of the clothing, the cohesive artistic narrative of his presentation and the heart warming attitude of Murkudis and everyone working around him. It was truly a pleasure!