Pari Sofianou is a Greek designer who counts Pippa Small as a mentor. She won the sixth edition of emerging jewelry design competition TheNextNow for her brand Pari by Pari Sofianou.
Dallas—This year, Ylang 23 brought back its popular design competition, TheNextNow, for its sixth iteration.
In partnership with New York City beauty and fashion incubator The Ember Company, the Dallas fine jewelry retailer announced Pari by Pari Sofianou as the winning brand.
Designer Sofianou was born in Athens and lived for several years in London, where she studied scenography, or stage design, at St. Martins College of Art.
In London, Sofianou met jewelry designer Pippa Small, who introduced her to jewelry and served as a mentor.
Pari by Pari Sofianou is inspired by the cosmos, depicting planets and stars in their orbits through gold, diamonds and multicolor gemstones. Many of the pieces move, much like a mobile. The brand also counts Greek mythology and astrology among its design references.
The brand has won a Ylang 23 purchase order, as well as mentorship and promotion.
Planets in orbit and the unknown mysteries of the galaxy inspire these moveable designs from emerging Greek fine jewelry brand Pari by Pari Sofianou.
Sofianou will have mentorship access to the team of judges who selected her as well.
They were: Moda Operandi interim CEO Jim Gold; Krupp Group founder Cindy Krupp; designer Pamela Love; designer Ileana Makri; founder and owner of The Ember Company Avani Patel; Vanity Fair Accessories Editor and Vogue Jewelry Editor Daisy Shaw; and Ylang 23 founder and owner Joanne Teichman.
The judging panel selected from a group of 20 designer finalists from an original submission pool of more than 75.
The finalists presented a selection of their work over Zoom.
After the judging, Ylang 23 Vice President, Business Development Alysa Teichman, who founded TheNextNow, moderated a panel with the judges on facing retail challenges, building a brand and standing out in a crowded marketplace.
TheNextNow will happen again in fall 2021.
Ashley Davisis the senior editor, fashion at National Jeweler, covering all things related to design, style and trends.
