The Nōema Store is located in the heart of Mykonos. Following the conceptual direction of Prao Greece and in collaboartion with StudioPale, in 2021 the designer created a handwoven wall hanging as well as cushions. Recycled cotton and cotton yarns have been used.
Photo credits: Yiorgos Kordakis
For the brand’s Mycenean collection, Alexandra was comissioned to weave fabrics with shimmering gold threads. Bucket bags, pouches, scarves and sandals were handwoven for the SS23, along with details added on Amari caftan.
KHRAMI handloomed scarves with the brand’s signature ‘spathoto’ pattern. Woven in merino wool & cotton. MILEA bag exclusively made for AW21 Metsovo collection.
Photo credits: Yiorgos Kaplanidis
Back in 2019, A WHALES ARCHITECTS and ANCIENT GREEK SANDALS commissioned Alexandra Bissa to create a 34sqm handwoven mural, covering an entire wall from ground to first floor, for AGS’S flagship store in Athens, Greece. Alexandra designed and hand wove the mural which consists of 7 colourful stripes and various patterns, in cotton and wool. The patterns are inspired by designs found in ancient Greek pottery and a mural close up reveals their intricate details. Small but beautiful defaults during the handmade weaving process were embraced, underlying the craftsmanship’s unique touch.
Photo credits: Vasillis Makris
Creative minds were united for this complete makeover of an old occasional chair, for Sermaidis Press headquarters. Stephan Muller behind the concept. Giannis Gousdovas behind the bespoke upholstered cushion work & repair. Alexandra Bissa behind the handwoven fabric. Yannis Drakoulidis behind the camera.
Alexandra was commissioned by Zeus+Dione to weave the fabric of THRACE loom top for their SS 2021 collection. Fine quality cotton, recycled cotton and linen have been used.
Product photos with models by Yiorgos Kaplanidis
A commissioned custom-made art piece for Stratos Bichakis, inspired by his work. A composer & audio visual researcher, Stratos creates musical pieces using sound, light and open source hardware & software platform
Branding Heritage Cultural Organisation, the Region of Crete and the Greek National Tourism Organisation – UK & Ireland co-organised a cultural dialogue about Minoan civilization at the Museum of London the 29th of November 2019. Alexandra was part of the “Contemporary Minoans: Cretan culture, source of inspiration” event. She exhibited a handwoven art piece inspired by the Minoan civilization, created exclusively for Branding Heritage.
The autumn of 2018, Alexandra participated in the exhibition “The Countless Aspects of Beauty: Bringing to life Aegean Late Bronze Age Costume” that was presented at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Archaeologist Diana Wardle who curated the exhibition, recreates costumes inspired by antiquity, and in particular Minoan Crete, Thira and Mycenaean Greece. The designer collaborated with Wardle to recreate a costume from a Mycenae 13th-century-B.C. wall painting. After studying different materials and construction methods, Alexandra wove the fabric of the cloak from the “Room with the Fresco” using wool fibers.
The limited-edition series of IDRIA N1 adornments are hand-woven bracelets that come in eight different colours and are inspired by ancient Greek patterns found on hydria N1 at the Acropolis museum. These adornments are now out of stock but can be made to order.
Alexandra was commissioned by Zeus+Dione to design hand-woven details of the CARINA pullover for their FW 2017 collection. She designed the patterns of the woven bands based on the collection’s concept and visual style.
Athens-based luxury fashion house Zeus+Dione is inspired by traditional Greek patterns and designs to create contemporary, sophisticated garments. Alexandra first collaborated with Zeus+Dione for their FW 2016 collection, to create hand-woven decorative bands for the cuffs of the CLIO shirt and the sleeves of PORTARIA sweater. Alexandra designed the patterns of the woven bands based on the collection’s concept and visual style.
For her MA graduation project at the Chelsea College of Arts London in 2015, Alexandra created a textile that references the weaving tradition of her family’s village, Metsovo, and the socioeconomic crisis of Greece at the time. With a firm belief that creativity and design can help a country grow in times of crisis, she explored Greek heritage as a way to imagine a brighter future.
All creations by Alexandra Bissa are unique, handmade and limited-edition. The DOT. Project includes designs & products inspired by specific people or places. The story behind each design remains personal and private to the designer, but the visual result represents the DOT – the object of her inspiration. Find the DOT. Project products at the Creations page.
In March 2018, the Herakleidon Museum in Athens invited Alexandra to give a guided tour as part of the exhibition “Ancient Chinese Science and Technology”. A large section of the exhibition focused on textiles and weaving in ancient China, so Alexandra talked about the relationship of textile making between ancient Greece and China since the Han dynasty. A discussion about fibers, fabrics and techniques pointed out the differences and commonalities between the two ancient civilizations.