170. Ileana Makri | The Language of Jewelry

https://shop-capitol.com/pages/what-we-wore-podcast Ileana Makri is an Athens-based jewelry designer who is treasured by Capitol (and so many others!) for her signature pieces from the thread band to the evil eye. In this episode of What We Wore, she shares why, to her, stones are alive—why she feels a deep connection to those formed by nature, and why that energy matters in the pieces she creates.⁠ ⁠Follow What We Wore For more conversations on fashion, leadership, creativity, and the people shaping the industry, subscribe to the What We Wore Youtube and join our community on Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatWeWorePodcast https://www.instagram.com/whatweworepodcast/ Shop Capitol: https://shop-capitol.com/ 00:00 Introduction: Meeting Jewelry Designer Ileana Makri 00:31 Athens Childhood: History and Modern Life Coexisting 02:14 Visual Language: Mythology and Multicultural Symbology 04:14 Art Skipping a Generation: Inheriting Creativity 05:12 The Thread Band: Creating an Icon at Age 14 08:11 Greek Jewelry Heritage: A 1,000-Year-Old Human Need 11:58 Studio 54 & Columbia: Education in 1970s New York 13:14 Starting at 43: Studying Gemology in Santa Monica 16:50 Stones Are Alive: Finding Individuality in Natural Gems 18:38 The Universal Breath: An Emotional Encounter with Emeralds 21:34 "Magic" in Athens: Opening a Concept Store in 1987 23:39 The Barneys Breakthrough: A Plastic Bag and a $150k Fax 29:30 Creativity vs. Discipline: Protecting the Integrity of Craft 33:26