Yiannis Tseklenis: Farewell to a tireless nonconformist

He was a shining exception to a tough rule: the one that for some reason or another often stands in the path of a Made in Greece brand. The tireless, nonconformist and always creative Yiannis Tseklenis, the fabric and clothing designer who put Greece on the global fashion map in the 1960s and 70s, died in Athens on Wednesday, at the age of 82. He is survived by his partner Efi Mela and his son, filmmaker Constantinos Tseklenis.

Forward-thinking yet with a profound sense of the past and present, Tseklenis was a high-added value designer with clothing that was sold in 30 countries. His name was synonymous with Greek fashion for years, but his signature was also a part of Greeks' day-to-day lives in a broader sense as well - in school uniforms and the interiors of buses, trains and airplanes. In all of its manifestations, his creative talent went hand-in-hand with his...