Behind The Brand: Anna Paola Papaconstantinou of Paolita | By Ina Yulo Stuve | Publisher Luxurylifestylemag

Anna Paola Papaconstantinou is the Greek-Mexican founder and creative director of luxury swimwear and resortwear brand Paolita. Growing up in Athens in a multi-cultural family, Papaconstantinou shares how from an early age she learned how to see the world in a multi-faceted way.

“My two cultures are very different, but they’re also both incredibly rich in colour, history, family, and storytelling, and I’m sure that shaped me creatively long before I realised it had,” she said.

“I don’t know that being multi-cultural necessarily made me an entrepreneur. I think that came more from being quite independent, curious, and probably a little stubborn. But it definitely shaped the business I ended up creating. I’m endlessly interested in different cultures, their histories and the way people are connected through art, textiles and objects.”

Papaconstantinou studied fashion at the prestigious Istituto Marangoni’s London and Milan campuses before going on to work for designers like Hussein Chalayan and Alexander McQueen. An artist and illustrator at heart, the hand-drawn prints that feature in Paolita’s garments have slowly turned into the foundation that each collection is built on.

“Every print starts with a story or an idea and is drawn by hand in our studio, often filled with small details and references that you might not notice immediately. I like that someone can simply love a piece for its colour and beauty, but if they look a little closer, there’s another layer to discover,” she says.

Those joy-filled prints are front and centre in her collection’s gorgeous silk dresses, flattering bikinis, and flowing kaftans, items proudly worn by the likes of Millie Mackintosh (who collaborated with Papaconstantinou on a capsule collection) and her legion of fans who’ve now passed their love of Paolita onto the next generation.

“Some of our customers have been with us for over a decade, and now we’re starting to see their daughters wearing Paolita too. I absolutely love that,” shares Papaconstantinou.

In this edition of Behind the Brand, Ina Yulo Stuve speaks with Papaconstantinou about the challenges of Brexit, why she doesn’t believe in having a work-life balance, and her excitement for their new Mykonos opening.

If you could describe Paolita in three words, what would they be?

Joyful, storytelling, craftsmanship.

What’s the biggest business challenge you’ve had to face and how did you tackle it?

Brexit was probably one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced with Paolita. We’re a British brand, but much of our production, suppliers and customer base are European, so the way we had operated for years became far more complicated. There were new costs, logistics, paperwork and delays to navigate, and as a small business you don’t necessarily have huge teams to absorb that.

We still feel the impact of Brexit on a daily basis. From where I sit, running a British business with such close ties to Europe, I believe it was one of the biggest mistakes the UK has made, and years later, we’re still navigating the consequences.

Talk to me about customer acquisition. Where is your customer finding out about your brand and how do you encourage loyalty?

Our customers find us in lots of different ways: through Instagram, press, our stores and stockists, word of mouth, and increasingly through seeing someone else wearing Paolita.

We’ve been around for 15 years now, so there’s also this wonderful organic network of women who have discovered us over the years and introduced the brand to their friends.

Being an entrepreneur can take a toll on both mind and body. What do you like to do to unwind and find balance between work and your personal life?

I don’t have a work-life balance, and I think that’s part of the reality of being an entrepreneur. Paolita has been part of my life for 15 years, it’s my life’s work. Having children hasn’t made me step away from the business either.

They’re growing up with a mother who runs a company, and that’s simply part of our family life. To be honest, I’m not even sure what balance means. I don’t think I’m wired that way. The one thing I do, is always make time for my family and friends, and when I’m with them, really be there.

Paolita has become known for its incredible luxury resortwear pieces. How do you manage running a seasonal business and keep your customers engaged throughout the year?

We sell globally, so the amazing thing about resortwear is that it’s always summer somewhere. When one part of the world is moving into winter, another is heading into summer, and people are travelling throughout the year too. So I don’t really think of Paolita as a seasonal business in the traditional sense – our customer might be in Greece in August, the Caribbean in December or somewhere completely different in February.

We design for that sense of movement, pieces that travel with you rather than belonging to one particular season.

Do you have advice for a young designer looking to stand out in a competitive market?

Work out what you have to say and develop a point of view that is genuinely your own. The market is incredibly crowded, and originality and authenticity really resonate.

Also, learn the business. Being a good designer isn’t enough, you need to understand your customer, your margins, production and ultimately how to sell what you create. Creativity might get you started, but understanding the business is what allows you to keep creating.

Where do you go to find inspiration?

Everywhere, really. Travel has always been a huge source of inspiration for me, but it’s rarely just the destination itself. I’m interested in the history of a place, its art, architecture, objects, colours and the stories of the people who have lived there. I also constantly go back to art – I can spend hours in museums, looking through books, or discovering an artist I didn’t know before. Sometimes an entire collection can begin with something incredibly small: an old coin, a painting, a piece of ceramic, even a detail on a building.

I think I’m naturally very curious. I’m always collecting things visually, often without knowing what I’m going to do with them. Then somehow, months or even years later, they find their way into a print or a collection.

What’s next for Paolita?

I feel like Paolita is entering a really exciting chapter. Swim and resortwear will always be at the heart of what we do, and I want to keep evolving that world while staying true to what made the brand special in the first place.

Opening our store in Mykonos has been a big part of that. The island has been part of my life for so long, so having a Paolita home there feels incredibly personal. I’m excited about what we can create around the store and the community there.

I’m also really interested in collaborations and taking our prints into unexpected places. We have a print archive spanning 15 years now, and there’s so much within it that I still want to revisit and reinterpret.

There’s a lot I want to do. Even after 15 years, I still feel incredibly excited about what Paolita can become.

Factbox

Website: paolita.co.uk
Instagram: @paolitalondo