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2021 Hermès scarf Eleftheria Ἐλευθερία - Part 1 The Greece Odyssey








The culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years and is known for being the cradle of Western civilisation, a place where many ideas in the western world have flourished. Indeed the Greeks' influences and contributions have had a profound impact on Western civilisation: much of modern Western politics, language, art, architecture, science, sport, philosophy, literature etc., evolves from Greek practices.


Photo credit to the owner


Photo credit to the owner


Among the earliest Greek literature dating back to the Archaic period are two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer (circa 750 - 650 B.C.). These two ancient epic poems have become archetypal road maps in world mythology. While the Iliad is an epic tale of war and battle, the Odyssey is the story of a life's journey filled with obstacles. After the Greek's victory in the Trojan War, it was time for Odysseus to return to his kingdom of Ithaca, which had been at war for ten years. After another ten years of wandering the Mediterranean and its coastal lands. Odysseus finally arrives home with the help of the messenger god Hermes.


Photo credit to Wiki

Many brand names and companies' logos are based on original Greek mythological stories. The French luxury brand Hermès is named after its founder, Thierry Hermès. In the Odyssey, Hermes was the messenger god. He represents the God of roads and doorways, and also the protector of travellers. Thus, Hermès is a perfect name to represent a brand that specialises in equestrian horse equipment, leather goods, and accessories.

The Greek Revolution of 1821, also known as the Greek War of Independence, was a successful war by Greek rebels and freedom fighters against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. Greeks around the world celebrate the revolution as their Independence Day on March 25th.

When Greece marked its 200 years of independence with hopes of rebirth in 2021, Hermès announced the theme "The Human Odyssey" on its press day. Hermès paid tribute to the 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution with a limited-edition scarf, “Eleftheria”.

Photo Credit to Hermès

The Hermès scarf Eleftheria was designed by the Greek artist Elias Kafouros. The limited-edition scarf features the spectacular landscapes of Greece and the bold word Ἐλευθερία (Freedom) in white colour. It was only available at the Hermès Athens store from March 2021, and the Company pledges to donate part of the proceeds to Sotiria Thoracic Diseases Hospital of Athens. The other six colourways will be available worldwide in the Fall/Winter seasons of 2021.
Photo Credit to Hermès



As stated in the Hermès catalogue: “Elias Kafouros commemorates the bicentenary of his country's independence and celebrates the courage of his compatriots. His design unfolds like a flag, and each letter of the Greek word for "freedom" is written in a characteristic landscape of the country's three regions: Continental Greece, the Peloponnese, and the islands of the Aegean sea. Mountainside houses, bell towers, ancient colonnades, bridges, and terraces flower at the heart of luxurious nature. A lake is superimposed at the centre of the letter "θ", taking the shape of a blue eye – a symbol the Greeks see as warding off bad luck. Here, it symbolises citizens' open gaze regarding their cultural, social and human heritage. Resolutely turned towards the future.”



The carré Eleftheria consists of Greece landscapes and the bold word Ἐλευθερία (Freedom). Nine squares are joined together seamlessly. The artist Elias Kafouros delivered a powerful message to the viewers with the bold word Ἐλευθερία (Freedom) in the sky above Greece. The message also represents the Greek people’s voice. With the wind, it travels to every corner in all regions of Greece, swifts across the classic farmlands to the ancient historical sites, and flows from the little streams to the vast seas, echoes reverberating between the caves and the mountain valleys. The letters of Ἐλευθερία (Freedom) transform into pieces of ribbons when this meaningful art piece folds.



The word Ἐλευθερία (Freedom) acts as air space in this two-dimensional art which can have a significant impact. It creates massive contrast visually between the air spaces and the dense landscapes. The letters lighten the density horizontally and increase the vertical space between the land and the sky. This type of air space leads the viewer's eyes to focus on each section and implies a continuation of the landscape that allows the viewers to feel that they can walk right into the scene.





Photo credit to Greece Travel



Photo credit to Greece Travel



At the centre of the carré, “A lake is superimposed at the centre of the letter "θ", taking the shape of a blue eye…”. Melissani Cave Lake is located on the island of Kefalonia, northwest of Sami, Greece. Its shape looks like the blue eye of the earth from an aerial view. The brackish lake mixed with seawater and sweet water might have the most transparent water in the world. When sunlight shines into the colourless water through the oval chamber right overhead at noon, the light reflects, refracts in the crystal-clear water, and lights up the whole cave with ethereal and atmospheric blue, turquoise colours.






Photo Credit to Wiki

Along the diagonal line from the upper right to the bottom left, across the letter "θ" at the centre of the carré are a Tsarouchi and a rifle. At the upper right corner, a Tsarouchi with the words HÈRMES PARIS landed on four-leaf clovers. A rifle with the letter “H” blended into the orchids at the lower-left corner. Both are known as parts of the traditional uniform worn by the Evzones of the Greek Presidential Guard. The distinctive Evzones uniform evolves from the clothes worn by the klephts who fought the Ottoman occupation of Greece.





Photo Credit to the Owner


The Tsarouchi are flat, hard-soled shoes with a large tassel that the great warriors of the Greek War of Independence wore. The red colour symbolises the blood of the Greeks' ancestors and the black tassel reminds them of the four hundred years of slavery. The tassel on the tip represents the small tree of liberty, a hidden blade inside the tassel as a secret weapon for hand-to-hand combat. A pair of Evzonas Tsarouchi weighs two and a half kilograms and features around sixty nails under the sole, which are intended to simulate the battle sound of the Evzone's movement and salute to their brave ancestors, let them know their next generations are alive and freedom.





Photo credit to my friend: Lily S


Ever since orchids have been a symbol of fertility, the letter “H” blooms on the flower depicting Hermès' celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution. The artist hopes that the Greeks will continue their contributions to improving and benefiting society for future generations and wishes them good health, happiness, success and prosperity.


To read part 2 The Flora and Fauna, please click HERE




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