Limassol-born Esmeralda Panagiotarou (b. 1974) was working as head accessories designer for Issey Miyake Women’s prêt-à-porter line in Tokyo, when she was asked to revisit a metallic paper dress from the collection. The slashed dress she produced is among the most contemporary pieces of the RIPPING project. Panagiotarou also created a bag made out of paper.

”My main idea was a dress as a jewellery piece or a jewellery piece worn as a dress!
In other words, I wanted to incorporate – integrate a jewellery piece on a piece of clothing in the most effortless and simple way possible. The result was a draped “slash necklace” neckline, which leaves the bare skin slightly visible. Body, dress and necklace become one!”

Excerpt from a written interview to M. Pichou on the occasion of the article
“The ATOPOS RIPPING Project: a “new” life for dress objects ?” (COSTUME, volume 54, issue 2, 2020)