moiostrov.com Brings You
Fashion Designer Michalis Lazos
In This Exclusive Close Up Interview:
Michalis Lazos a well established Cypriot Fashion Designer who has gone through great lengths to be where he now is, starting right from the very top during his years in Milan which was a smash success to his career in Fashion Design, his overwhelmingly dramatic currentness of unerring instinct and style leads us to find out more and getting to know this designer’s influences and understand first hand why this appreciation of fabric and most importantly women.
With an eager set out to meet THE Michalis Lazos himself, so at exactly 15:30 on a weekend afternoon in the heart of Limassol there we were first off’ meeting Michalis at his well known Atelier;, what stood out was his chatty and likable presence, it was then clear that Michalis is not only a fashion designer but he’s a funny and charming character as well. Entering the Atelier you were surrounded by demure and jewel embellished pieces it was hard to not forget to breath, each of his designs were there right in front of you; breathtakingly too much to take in all at once; you suddenly forgot if you were in a dream or in reality. We hope your sitting down comfortably for this must read exclusive interview here on moiostrov.com:
SJ: You’ve dedicated your life’s work to making women look good and feel good, is this something you wanted to do from the start of wanting to create garments or were you leaning more towards the commerce side of things in Fashion?
M.L: From the beginning it was always down to the creative side, never was I drawn towards the commerce influence on fashion because my view on this is; is that if you focus on the commercial part you tend to lose the trait of creativity itself, therefore you end up losing the ‘quality’ of work that you practice onto the clothes, the character that your clothes once had fades and for me this ‘character’ is what makes the clothes unique and you definitely do not want to misplace that.
SJ: Aside from your designs that instantly transform the wearer, what is ‘your’ advice for women who want to look good and feel good? Like your recent collection presented to us during the charity event for the ‘ena oniro mia efhi’ foundation at the Presidential Palace Gardens, a particular collection that was branching into the lines of old school red carpet glamour of which we’re also keen for you to tell us what your inspiration was behind what we saw.
M.L: Well;, my advice for women to achieve looking and feeling good, is to not follow or depend on the latest fashion trends that appear to us, but instead to focus on what complements their figure at best and for them to set small focal points on their body that they are most fond of and use these points by highlighting them in the maximum best way. They also need to withdraw themselves from ‘over dressing’ to accomplish their aimed look. The key is to keep things as feminine as possible in order to attain the harmony of their ‘character’ into their selected ensembles for their target look, plus I advise that they should never depend on the clothes to bring into effect for them to look good only the wearer should be in control of this. As for my latest collection that was recently showcased my initial target in total was the meaning of the female figure. I wanted to entail everything that revolves around a woman’s body materialistically speaking; by adding elegance and glamour to it, lets us not forget; that the woman is one of god’s most beautiful creations, hence we need to admire this type of conception and so that’s what I managed to do in my collection by highlighting the woman’s image with plenty of glamour, sensuality and elegance using at the same time enriched details on the materials used for this as well.
SJ: Seeing as the female figure is your guide by what you’ve told us using it almost like a map and as you go along; it seems that you can always discover something new;, where for someone tries on different clothes everyday never probably knew they had what it takes to pull it off, and that’s one of the greatest things about being a designer because someone like yourself, has the smart and creative strategies to bring it outwards for them. You’ve been in the industry for quite some time now, is there by any chance if you have identified ‘what women want’?
M.L: Honestly; not yet because every woman is a different as an individual, the only common thing that I can identify in them which stands for all women is that they all want to look great in their clothes and feel fantastic in them as well as looking unique.
SJ: Staying on the same note of what stands out the most, your soon to be part of the judging committee for this year’s Cyprus Fashion Model Awards, as a designer can you tell us one key insight of which will get your vote for the contestants taking part in the event? And is this something that you always look out for in castings held for your own shows, campaigns ect.?
M.L: I need the individual to be like a blank canvas which I can transform, I don’t tend to choose models that have just one particular look and image as I prefer to morph them depending on my concept, to mold them as ‘one’ with my creations. I expect he or she to be the average model height, to have a maintained healthy body and especially a good walk.
SJ: I’d like for you to take us back into your early days as a designer, what memories do you have of your time in Milan when you came to finish your studies?
M.L: When I was in my last year of studies I was chosen to work for one of the biggest fashion houses in Milan, and they sent me to make a fitting using my designs for one of their clients, this particular client was actress Catherine Zeta Jones, you can imagine my surprise!
SJ: That must have been such a huge moment in your life for a beginner in the industry no wonder you’ve started to work your way up from the top! Do your clients “look” needs also give you small encounters that inspire you for your future creations?
M.L: No, for me every customer has their own unique design especially made for them because each one of them has their own uniqueness as individuals, and so I also use this idealization of working which differs every time just as every client and use this as my signature way of work with my designs.
SJ: And finally, one of the best things in life are those that are the people closest to you, you’re happily married with child, what is the best thing about being married?
M.L: Yes family is a very important part of my life, I believe someone like myself whom is creative and designs for an industry such as fashion, it is important for them to have a balanced and happy life in order for them to be able to create their best pieces of work, therefore my family are those to thank for; for my success!
Having this close-up interview with Michalis and his designs was the best way to truly appreciate his determination of him bringing his ideas to life in clothes, a person who never fails to impress in terms of creativity and scale, helping us all forget how frivolous fashion can be. Each of his pieces are always the equivalent of seeing the latest art innovation with an overtly feminine and romantic aesthetic that opens you up to where a ‘body’ meets ‘soul’, ‘soul’ meets subliminal ‘freedom’. We’d like to thank Michalis for having this interview with us at moiostrov.com, an interview that you were truly proud to say “I was there” to meet one of our Island’s ringleaders in fashion & design!
SarahJane Kyprianou
Fashion Columnist
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Visit Michlalis Lazos Atelier, Leondiou Avenue, Leondiou Center, Shop 12-14, Limassol – Cyprus, Telephone number: +357 25 357024, Email address: info@michalislazos.com (fittings by appointment only)
Check out more on Fashion Designer Michalis Lazos here on moiostrov.com:
https://www.moiostrov.com/fashions-spectacular-on-moiostrov-com/
https://www.moiostrov.com/c-f-d-day-1-michalis-lazos/
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