Founded in 2013 by Mimika Kolotoura and Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotaki (the latter stepping back from her role at the company after her husband was elected Greece's Prime Minister in 2019), the brand emerged from an idealistic impulse to revive and redefine regional Greek crafts that were gradually being forgotten. Their vision was to utilize traditional techniques and motifs to create timeless wardrobe staples inspired by the Doric simplicity of classical Greece. Named after the parents of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek Goddess of love, beauty, and eternal youth, Zeus+Dione is rooted in mythology and symbolism. Nevertheless, it transcends classical notions of style and design, capturing a sense of timeless elegance by skilfully intertwining past and present with tradition and innovation.

Relying solely on Greek raw materials, the brand's apparel and accessories are crafted in close collaboration with over 80 artisans throughout Greece, from Athens-based Alexandra Bissa, whose hand-woven textiles are created on a dobby loom using cotton and wool yarn, to Argos-based master embroiderer Aristides Tzonevrakis, all the way to Northeastern Greece and Kostas Mouhtaridis' Silkline factory in Soufli, a town renowned for producing fine silk. Grounded in a minimalist design language of simple structures, geometry and precision inspired by the architecture and design of Classical Greece, the brand's craft-based designs exude a modern yet timeless appeal.

Renowned for his concept-driven approach, razor-sharp tailoring and meticulous attention to detail, the half-Greek, half-Austrian fashion designer Marios Schwab is the perfect match for Zeus+Dione. Taking the creative helm of the brand in 2020 after collaborating with luxury brands like Halston and Swarovski, Schwab successfully marries the brand's classical simplicity and dedication to traditional craftsmanship with contemporary sophistication and subversive energy.

For the Resort ’24 collection, Schwab drew inspiration from Greek tradesmen, resulting in a collection aptly named "SMALL TRADES". Specifically, he focused on the workwear of Greece's cultural renaissance during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s—a period when the country sought inspiration internally rather than externally. Celebrating manual labour and humble craftsmanship, the menswear collection draws from the dress codes of postmen, photographers, rebetiko musicians, barbers, farmers, and fishermen. In Schwab's creative hands, these influences are reimagined as modern attire for "urban gentlemen".

The collection prominently features Schwab's signature sharp tailoring, including black and white pinstriped suits and double-breasted tailored blazers crafted in collaboration with Vasilis Bourtsalas of Bespoke Athens, impeccably tailored shirts created with the assistance of Christakis Athens, and cropped sailcloth vests delicately embroidered with naturalistic curlicue motifs by Aris Tzonevrakis in his Argos atelier. Infusing a futuristic touch in both material and form, the collection introduces neoprene jackets inspired by the diving suits, or "skafandro," worn by Kalymnos' sponge divers; the history of sponge harvesting on the island may date back to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, but it was the introduction of diving suits in the 19th century that propelled the island’s sponge industry. Schwab reinterprets the divers' bulky suits as sculptural jackets with billowing, structured silhouettes made from sportswear techno-fabrics while the brass weights used by the divers are transformed into silver harness pendants thanks to a visionary collaboration with the renowned jewelry Studio MINAS. These remarkable creations are the brainchild of Promitheas, the talented son of the esteemed Greek designer Minas.

The collection further explores its thematic core with leather bags inspired by paper grocery bags and fishmongers' newspaper funnels, dress details reminiscent of fishing nets, and rubber boots by Ancient Greek Sandals. Slender wrap dresses, pleated trousers and Nehru collar shirts in embossed 'spathoto' silk, produced in Kostas Mouhtaridis' silk factory in Soufli, play with the brand's signature silhouettes and fabrics.

Schwab also paid homage to Greece's metalworkers and coppersmiths through jewellery pieces, bag handles and hardware details. Although these details may have gone unnoticed by the audience as the models strutted down the catwalk, the brass-plated runway certainly caught everyone's attention. Meticulously assembled before the start of the show as a reflection of the brand's hand-stitched and meticulously pieced-together apparel, the gleaming brass pathway symbolized the historical significance of copper since ancient times, alluding also to the coppersmith workshops of Piraeus, and in the process creating a mesmerizing visual effect against the rugged industrial backdrop. Brass also took centre stage in the form of unique sculptural vessels designed by Yiannis Vogdanis and Marios Schwab for Zeus+Dione, carried by black-veiled female figures who appeared to have stepped out of Michael Cacoyannis' film "Zorba the Greek."

Following the show, guests were invited aboard the Hellas Liberty for a festive celebration on the ship's deck. Now functioning as a floating museum, the cargo ship belongs to a class of freighters built in the United States during World War II, which played a pivotal role in the country's post-war economic reconstruction, not unlike the tradespeople, laborers, and artisans to whom Zeus+Dione's Resort ’24 collection pays tribute. Standing on the historic ship's deck amidst a lively crowd of creatives, fashionistas and design enthusiasts, it felt like returning home after a journey through Greece's storied past—an extraordinary way to toast ten years of artistry and authenticity.

Concept, Creative Direction and Set: Marios Schwab
Styling: Katy England
Lighting Design: Eleftheria Deko
Music & Sound Design: Stavros Gasparatos for ZEUS+DIONE
Performance Direction and Choreography: Lynsey Peisinger
Hair Styling: Jose Quijano using L’Oréal Professionnel
Make up: Athina Karakitsou using Lancôme
Seating Design: Leda Athanasopoulou
Show Support: PANSiK fashion school
Show & Event Production: YARD
Silver Harness Pendant and Silver Buttons: Design House MINAS by Prometheus x ZEUS+DIONE
Sandals and Rubber Boots: Ancient Greek Sandals x ZEUS+DIONE
Footwear: ZEUS+DIONE
Shirtmaking: CHRISTAKIS Athens x ZEUS+DIONE
Tailoring: Bespoke Athens
Silk Fabrics: Silk Line - Ath. Mouhtaridis S.A.
Embroideries: Aris Tzonevrakis
Copper Vessels: Yiannis Vogdanis & Marios Schwab x ZEUS+DIONE
Copper sheets: Provided by HALCOR
Model Casting Director: Sofia Daichristou, D Models
Stage Manager: Manon Renier
Invitations Creative Design: MNP Athens
Public Relations Greece: OPUS
Public Relations United Kingdom: JESS CHRISTIE
Public Relations France: FAVORI