MARILENA ANDREADIS: (DIRECTOR AND DESIGNER OF MAAN, BORN 1978, ATHENS,GREECE) FOLLOWING A SEVEN-YEAR STAY IN LONDON, MARILENA RETURNED TOGREECE IN 2003 AS A GRADUATE OFCENTRAL ST. MARTIN’S, WITH A MASTER’S IN MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT ANDDIVERSE WORK EXPERIENCE, RANGINGFROM HIGH-STREET STORES TO HIGH-END DESIGNERS. MAAN WAS FOUNDED IN 2005; THE RESULT OF FRUSTRATION, DISILLUSIONMENT AND (VISION). GRATEFUL FOR GOOD TIMING AND FORTUNATE COINCIDENCES, AND TAKING THE MOTTO ABOUT INSPIRATION AND... PERSEVERANCE VERY SERIOUSLY, MAAN GREW TO BE A MAINLY EXPORTING COMPANY IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS. CONCEIVED IN A TINY STUDIO IN KOLONAKI, IN CENTRAL ATHENS, EACH MAAN COLLECTION CAN NOW BE FOUND IN CAREFULLY SELECTED BOUTIQUES WORLDWIDE, FROM PARIS AND ROME TO TOKYO AND OSAKA

OUR PHILOSOPHY IS SIMPLE. WE WANT OUR CLOTHES TO BE WORN DAY AFTER DAY AND YEAR AFTER YEAR. WE WANT TO CREATE CLOTHES THAT CAN BE COMBINED EASILY, FALL COMFORTABLY, AND BECOME FAVOURITE EVERYDAY ITEMS; WE WANT OUR CLOTHES TO BE AFFORDABLE, TIMELESS, AND PERSONAL. WE GIVE GREAT ATTENTION TO OUR PATTERNS IN THE BELIEF THAT THEREIN LIES THE SECRET TO STYLE, CLASS AND COMFORT. A WELL-CUT GARMENT IN BLACK WILL ALWAYS BE STYLISH AND FLATTERING. OUR COLLECTIONS DO FOLLOW FASHION TRENDS, BUT DEEP DOWN IT IS TIMELESS ORIGINALITY THAT WE ASPIRE TO.OUR FABRICS ARE CAREFULLY CHOSEN, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON HOW THEY FALL, FIT, AND FEEL. WE WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THE WEAR AND TEAR OF EVERYDAY USE AND AGE WELL, REMAINING A PLEASURE TO WEAR FOR A LONG TIME TO COME. AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE WANT OUR CLOTHES TO BE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO ANYONE WHO IS CAUGHT BY THEM. WE KEEP OUR PRICES REASONABLY LOW, NOT BY CUTTING OUR PRODUCTION COSTS, BUT BY NOT FACTORING IN THE COST OF THE DESIGN. WE KNOW THAT WE JUST MAKE CLOTHES, AND THAT WE WILL NOT FEED THE WORLD MAKING THEM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE APPRECIATE THAT SOMETIMES CLOTHES DO MAKE US FEEL BETTER. IT IS ON THIS THIN LINE THAT WE BALANCE, TRYING NOT TO TAKE OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY, BUT APPRECIATING THAT OUR WORK MAY HELP PEOPLE DEAL WITH MONDAY MORNINGS. AND, IN THE END, IT IS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT THE CLOTHES AS ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO WEAR THEM, THEIR COMFORT, SELF EXPRESSION, AND SELF CONFIDENCE. IT IS ABOUT CLOTHES THAT ARE MADE TO BE WORN AND WORN DOWN RATHER THAN KEPT IN THE CLOSET FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION.

WORK ETHIC
PRODUCTION OF THE WHOLE MAAN COLLECTION IS LOCAL AND DIRECTLY SUPERVISED. A LOT OF IT IS OUTSOURCED TO SUBCONTRACTORS, WHO ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PROCESS. WE CHOOSE TO WORK THIS WAY SIMPLY BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THEY ARE BETTER AT CONTROLLING THEIR WORK THAN WE ARE. THE INITIAL TEAM HAS REMAINED, AND WE ARE JUST GETTING BIGGER. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US THAT ALL STAGES OF PRODUCTION FEEL PART OF WHAT WE DO, AND BE HAPPY AND PROUD TO WORK WITH US. WE HAVE CHOSEN TO PRODUCE LOCALLY, DESPITE THE POSSIBILITY OF CHEAPER CONSTRUCTION ELSEWHERE, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DIRECTLY SUPERVISE THE PROCESS. WE ALSO PREFER TO USE MATERIALS PRODUCED LOCALLY WHEREVER POSSIBLE.
IT IS A SOURCE OF PRIDE THAT OUR WORK PROVIDES JOBS IN A ONCE-VIBRANT SECTOR WHICH IS NOW SUFFERING THE CONSEQUENCES OF RELOCATION AND GLOBALISATION, AND THAT, ON OCCASION, OUR SUPPLIERS HAVE TRUSTED US ENOUGH TO PRODUCE ESPECIALLY FOR OUR COLLECTIONS.