{"title":"Daphne Valente","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eDaphne Valente has spent four decades perfecting the art of pleating. Trained at F.I.T. in New York and at Central Saint Martins in London, she found her creative direction early — a chance encounter with an exhibition on Mariano Fortuny, whose pleated Delphos gowns had captivated the fashion world decades earlier, set her on a path she never left. Rather than borrowing Fortuny's technique outright, she turned to her own heritage for a language of her own: the sculptural draping of Ancient Greek dress, and in particular the chiton, worn across the Aegean for centuries before her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eHer method has remained consistent across a career spanning generations: each piece begins as a single rectangle of fabric, cut once, then draped and sculpted by hand directly on the dress form before it is permanently pleated. There are no fasteners, no darts, no unnecessary seams — only the cloth itself, shaped by hand and held by the pleat alone. It is a slow, exacting process, and one she has never industrialized.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eWhat distinguishes her work further is its philosophy of fit. Daphne Valente designs every piece as one size, engineered through pleating and stretch to move with a genuine range of bodies rather than accommodate one. It is a quietly radical idea dressed in classical form — clothing built not around a standard figure, but around the body that actually wears it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eOver four decades, she has built a devoted following among Athenian society, known as much for her discretion as her craft. Her fabrics are OEKO-TEX certified, and her collections are made entirely without animal-derived materials. Today, her pieces stand as a rare example of a technique perfected over a lifetime, translated into clothing built to be worn, not preserved.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"esthis-kaftan-in-ink","title":"Esthis Kaftan in Ink","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"_chunkWrapper_6ta1u_30\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"2\"\u003eA \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"18\"\u003esculptural caftan in Ink, finely and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"55\"\u003epermanently pleated in Daphne Valente's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"95\"\u003esignature technique. Cut with a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"127\"\u003edramatic, cocoon-like drape, the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"160\"\u003esilhouette falls from a square neckline \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"200\"\u003einto voluminous folds that settle \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"234\"\u003easymmetrically at the hem, framed by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"271\"\u003esoft cap sleeves.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_chunkWrapper_6ta1u_30\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"0\"\u003eCut from a single \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"18\"\u003epiece of fabric with no fasteners and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"56\"\u003eno unnecessary seams, the caftan is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"92\"\u003edesigned to move fluidly with the body \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"131\"\u003ewhile offering full coverage and ease.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_chunkWrapper_6ta1u_30\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"0\"\u003eDesigned to stretch to fit, with a bust \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"40\"\u003estretching up to 200cm — a true \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"72\"\u003eone-size piece that complements any \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_animating_6ta1u_10\" data-newtext-seq=\"108\"\u003ebody shape.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Daphne Valente","offers":[{"title":"One size","offer_id":54326035808583,"sku":null,"price":495.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/9458\/6837\/files\/DaphneValenteEsthisKaftaninInk2.jpg?v=1783783534"},{"product_id":"magnet-dress-in-pomegranate","title":"Magnet Dress in Pomegranate","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eA Grecian-inspired dress in Pomegranate, finely and permanently pleated in Daphne Valente's signature technique. A bouffant, draped bodice with elbow-length ruffled sleeves sits above a fitted pleated skirt, with a dramatic V-shaped ruffle cascading down the back and a slit tracing up one leg.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eCut from a single piece of fabric with no fasteners and no unnecessary seams, the dress combines sculptural volume on top with a slim, body-skimming silhouette below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eDesigned to stretch to fit, with a bust up to 120cm and waist up to 100cm.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Daphne Valente","offers":[{"title":"One size","offer_id":54325939306823,"sku":null,"price":420.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/9458\/6837\/files\/DaphneValenteMagnetDressinPomegranate1.jpg?v=1783781155"},{"product_id":"meter-dress-in-ink","title":"Meter Dress in Ink","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eA sculptural, one-shoulder gown in deep Ink purple, finely and permanently pleated in Daphne Valente's signature technique. An asymmetric ruffled panel cascades down one side, echoing the fluid draping of Ancient Greek dress, while thin crisscross straps trace an open back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eCut from a single rectangle of fabric with no fasteners and no unnecessary seams, the dress moves with the body and pools into a soft floor-length train.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eDesigned to fit one size, from XS to L.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Daphne Valente","offers":[{"title":"One size","offer_id":54325841723719,"sku":null,"price":594.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/9458\/6837\/files\/Even_Lighting_Adjustments.jpg?v=1783776967"},{"product_id":"polyhumnia-dress-in-pomegranate","title":"Polyhumnia Dress in Pomegranate","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eA one-shoulder Grecian midi dress in Pomegranate, finely and permanently pleated in Daphne Valente's signature technique. A draped, blouson bodice gathers asymmetrically over one shoulder, settling into a fitted, figure-skimming skirt below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eCut from a single piece of fabric with no fasteners and no unnecessary seams, the dress moves easily from afternoon into cocktail hour, worn with sandals or heels, and pairs well with minimal accessories or the brand's own belts and scarves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eDesigned to stretch to fit, with a bust up to 115cm and hips up to 120cm.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Daphne Valente","offers":[{"title":"One size","offer_id":54326432203079,"sku":null,"price":435.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/9458\/6837\/files\/DaphnePolyhumniaDressinPomegranate2.jpg?v=1783785649"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/9458\/6837\/collections\/daphne-valente-_maria-irene-moschonas.jpg?v=1783792119","url":"https:\/\/experience27.com\/collections\/daphne-valente.oembed","provider":"Experience 27 Madrid","version":"1.0","type":"link"}