Egypt, Elsewedy review progress on Ain Sokhna phosphate complex    US employment cost index 3.6% up in year to June 2025    Egypt welcomes Canada, Malta's decision to recognise Palestinian state    Pakistan says successfully concluded 'landmark trade deal' with US    Sterling set for sharpest monthly drop since 2022    Egypt, Brazil sign deal to boost pharmaceutical cooperation    Modon Holding posts AED 2.1bn net profit in H1 2025    Egypt's Electricity Ministry says new power cable for Giza area operational    Egypt's Al-Sisi, Italian defence minister discuss Gaza, security cooperation    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, Nile dam with US senators    Aid airdrops intensify as famine deepens in Gaza amid mounting international criticism    Egypt exports first high-tech potato seeds to Uzbekistan after opening market    Health minister showcases AI's impact on healthcare at Huawei Cloud Summit    On anti-trafficking day, Egypt's PM calls fight a 'moral and humanitarian duty'    Egypt strengthens healthcare partnerships to enhance maternity, multiple sclerosis, and stroke care    Egypt keeps Gaza aid flowing, total tops 533,000 tons: minister    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi sends letter to Nigerian president affirming strategic ties    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Move over Hermes: Hipper scarves worth collecting
Published in Daily News Egypt on 18 - 12 - 2009

They have been spotted around town and they are quite striking: scarves brightly saturated in color with a vivid print of evil eyes by a brand that is growing in popularity both locally and internationally.
Their silk is rich and heavy, a thick blend of silk chiffon.
Otrera is the brand, and Elle Sakellis - a Greek born and bred in New York City with a strong emotional and physical connection to her motherland - is the woman behind them.
Sakellis was inspired by her grandmother's childhood stories of a powerful Greek warrior goddess known for her beauty and strength named Otrera - the brand's namesake.
The brand was initially started as a private label, custom-making jewelry for stylists and the likes of Victoria's Secret. Sakellis has since expanded the line to include a variety of scarves - all of which feature prints of talismans.
After working in finance for 10 years and experiencing the events of 9/11 firsthand from her office at the World Financial Center (right across from the World Trade Center), Sakellis began reconsidering her life choices.
"It was close enough, Sakellis said of that day, "It was that day that made me see that I can't spend the rest of my life doing something that doesn't make me happy.
She moved to London and then to Mykonos for a while where she started Otrera, and the brand quickly evolved to include the signature scarves.
One day while walking with her grandmother around Mykonos, the family's perennial vacation spot, Sakellis spotted an arrangement of evil eyes in various sizes in a shop window. "I noticed they were all hanging together and thought they would look great on a print, she said.
She made her way back to New York and started searching for a graphic artist to translate her vision into something tangible. "It was almost too easy, if that's how it's supposed to be it feels so right and so cool, Sakellis says about her entry into scarf design.
"I had to go and touch silks and silk blends, and a designer friend from LA who had studied fabrics and was in tune with it helped me select silks strong enough to resist running if pulled on a ring, explained Sakellis.
"You never really expect anything this crazy to happen when you come up with a cute little concept; I never thought the scarves would be so eye-catching - it happened so quickly. [Famed New York stores] Intermix and Barneys picked them up, and Barneys put it in their window display - almost a dream-like experience, Sakellis recalled.
"There's also an educational aspect going on which is great. Girls from Kansas shopping in New York will see me at a trunk show and ask me about the evil eye and I educate them about its [talisman] effects.
"All these different good luck amulets, particularly the evil eye: it's used as a general source of power for people, to muster the power they need for their everyday lives.yet no matter how many cultures claim it to be theirs, the most important thing is that all cultures use their positive abilities to stay on a positive path, Sakellis said.
Otrera's now infamous evil eye scarves come in a variety of colors, and summer collections will include brighter hues of coral, yellow and turquoise. Online boutique Net-a-Porter has even asked for exclusive designs - a testament to their appeal and originality.
There's certainly something appealing about turning them into the next coveted collector's item, ¬like the Hermès scarves.
"I think that I'm not a fashionable person. I'm a denim girl.and I have a problem with prints, I wear a lot of solid black. The only way I could every spruce up an outfit is with a colorful printed scarf.
"It's the ultimate outfit booster whether it's with a pair of jeans and a blazer around the neck all the way to your basic black dress which you can wear it over. It's a uniform accessory that can work with many different outfits.
Scarves now included the famed hand of Fatima or Hamsa scarf which Sakellis has also incorporated into a cool design and translated onto silk.
Otrera scarves devotees have included Paris Hilton and Rachael Ray, and Sakellis says: "It's amazing having them wear it, Paris Hilton and Rachel Ray are completely different scopes of people and Robin Thicke wore it on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival - I had to thank him for opening up an entirely new market for me. But he is a risk taker and very fashion forward so it suits him although I had my doubts when I first saw it.
Sakellis is developing a new charm for print which she chose to keep secret. "I will tell you that its roots come from Egypt, she teased. Set to be launched in Spring 2011, many - myself included - will be eagerly keeping an eye out for it.


Clic here to read the story from its source.