A woman with short, wavy hair and earrings, wearing a white blouse and a necklace, shopping in a clothing store among racks of clothes.

GIANNI VERSACE ARCHIVE

ERI KAKKAVA COLLECTION

The Eri Kakkava Collection is an archive dedicated to the work of the late Italian couturier Gianni Versace.

Rooted in a deeply personal and historical narrative, it charts a formative chapter of European fashion history through two intertwined stories: Eri Kakkava's role in bringing haute couture and ready-to-wear to Athenian society, and the full arc of Versace's design career, from his earliest collections through to his untimely death.

Numbering over 1,000 pieces, the archive spans Gianni Versace, Versace Couture, Atelier Versace and the label's diffusion line, Istante, with garments dating from 1979 to 1997 — capturing the energy and cultural shift of those two decades. Alongside ready-to-wear, rare couture, and an extensive range of accessories sits a parallel record of correspondence, photographs, and show invitations that traces a working relationship built on a shared appetite for daring, savoir-faire, and invention.

Nighttime street scene with parked cars, illuminated building with mannequins in display windows, and a restaurant sign that reads 'CELAR'

Anagnostopoulou 3, Athens, 1984

In 1967, Eri Kakkava opened Jade, the first Athens boutique devoted to imported designer fashion, changing the city's relationship with international style overnight. A sharp instinct for undiscovered talent led her to become the exclusive Greek representative for major fashion names including among others Gianfranco Ferre, Sonia Rykiel, Claude Montana, Courrèges and Lanvin; her business would eventually expand to seven stores across Athens.

In 1979 came the collaboration that would define her career: bringing Gianni Versace to Athens as his exclusive retailer. From a neoclassical building in Kolonaki — the first two floors of her 350-square-metre Galeries Jade — she introduced his collections to the Athenian public, staging private shows that often featured international models.

A group of five people, three women and two men, posing together indoors. They are dressed in colorful, 1980s-style clothing, with a woman on the right wearing a bright, patterned jacket and polka dot skirt, and a woman on the left in a pink jacket. The background shows a poster of a person holding a fan and clothing racks.

Eri Kakkava, Santo Versace with Cristiana and Iro Poniraki at Galeries Jade, Athens 1991

Over the following two decades, travelling regularly to Milan and Paris fashion weeks, she assembled an exceptional archive of Versace pieces: runway garments alongside unworn ready-to-wear, much of it still in pristine condition, tags intact.

When Versace died in 1997, the boutique closed and its remaining stock — largely Versace, but also select pieces by Gianfranco Ferré, Lacroix, Lanvin, Sonia Rykiel and Thierry Mugler — was relocated to a temperature-controlled facility in central Athens. For decades, Iro Poniraki, who had worked alongside her mother in the boutiques from a young age, took on the careful task of maintaining each garment. Together, the three generations of women have ensured the collection endured not just as clothing, but as cultural memory. 

Colorful swimwear and a pink cover-up hanging on a silver clothing rod against a white wall.

SS 1993 Hand painted prototype skirt ref Miami Collection

The archive is now stewarded by Eranthi Karamali, the third generation to carry it forward after her mother, Iro Poniraki, and grandmother before her. Her focus is twofold: safeguarding what came before, while opening the collection up to new audiences. Pieces are available to loan for exhibitions and institutional projects, including, in the past, a Gianni Versace retrospective in Berlin and the Versace retrospective at the Musée Maillol in Paris. 

Beyond this, select garments are made available by private appointment, or through Mod Space — where a rotating edit of Versace pieces, alongside Eri's broader collection of vintage designer fashion from the same period, can be viewed and purchased.

For Eranthi, this personal inheritance and collection has grown into something broader: an ongoing study of fashion, memory and heritage.

Eri Kakkava, Iro Poniraki and Eranthi Karamali showcasing the archive for Versace Embodied shot by Liv Liberg 2026

COLLABORATE WITH THE ARCHIVE

Based in Athens, the collection works internationally and welcomes enquiries from those interested in engaging with its history, research potential and creative possibilities.

Alongside its institutional and creative collaborations, selected pieces are made available for private acquisition. These enquiries are handled individually, with consideration for each garment’s historical significance, provenance and place within the collection. A core group of pieces remains within the permanent archive, ensuring that its most significant material can continue to support future exhibitions and research.

For exhibition proposals, loan requests, editorial projects, research enquiries or private acquisitions, please get in touch with details of your project and requirements.

For all enquiries: contact@erikakkavacollection.com

Woman working at a cluttered desk with tall yellow file folders, a vintage landline phone, and decorative items, in front of a large abstract black and white wall art.
Invitation for a Gianni Versace fashion event at Fiera di Milano on October 5, 1983, with details of time and location.
Invitation card for Gianni Versace, featuring text in Italian and English, with event details for a men's fashion show on July 9, 1990, at Fiera di Milano in Italy.
Fashion illustration of a woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat, striped blazer, and striped skirt, seated with flowing fabric around her, with the text 'Gianni Versace' below.
Five people, four women and one man, dressed in stylish clothing, standing close together and smiling at a social gathering in a well-lit room.
Invitation card for Madame Kathia to attend fashion collection presentation at Hotel Ritz on Saturday, January 23, 1992, at 6 p.m., with press contact BeaureKeller, phone number 45.44.50.65.
A smiling woman and a man are hugging each other, in an indoor setting with textured white walls and ceiling lights.
A woman sitting at an office desk with a vintage computer, papers, a telephone, and various office supplies.
Invitation card for a Haute Couture collection presentation by Gianni Versace, scheduled for Saturday, July 21, 1990, at 6:30 PM at Hotel Ritz, issued to Madame Kakava.
A woman with short blond hair wearing a colorful patterned jacket and blue skirt, smiling and standing at a table with people seated around her.
Invitation card for an art exhibition at Atelier Versace, held on Saturday, January 16, 1999, from 5 to 9:31 pm, with handwritten signatures and annotations.
A woman standing in a room, wearing a colorful, patterned jacket with pink pants, with a smile on her face.
Interior view of a retail store with clothing, a seating area, and decorative lighting on the ceiling.
A fashion illustration of a woman wearing a strapless red top, black sheer pants, and a yellow accessory, framed by handwritten text on a white background.
Two women with styled hair standing indoors; one in a cream blouse, the other in a red blazer with a pin that looks like a knife on the shoulder.
Interior view of a Gucci store window display featuring a white mannequin torso, fabric swatches, and Gucci signage. The display is decorated with a leopard print pattern and silhouettes of a leopard, and one wall shows the Gucci logo, with some signage for the Gianni Versace label.
Letter from Atelier Versace, Milan, dated March 15, 1994, addressed to Sig.ra Kakava, with handwritten signatures at the bottom.
Invitation to a high fashion couture collection presentation at a hotel suite in Paris, hosted by Gianni Versace, for Madame Eri Kakkava from January 22 to January 26, 1990, with contact details listed.
Clothing store display with racks of pants and dresses, a poster of a woman, and accessories on shelves inside a shopping mall.
Display featuring mannequins in fashionable clothing at a store called Galaia Jade, with two mannequins on an upper window and two on a lower window, illuminated by warm lighting.
Two women are standing together, dressed in shades of orange and rust, smiling at the camera. The woman on the left has short, styled hair and is wearing a button-up shirt with a patterned scarf, while the woman on the right has longer, wavy hair and is wearing a shiny blouse and a blazer.
Embossed logo of Medusa's head with intricate details on a light-colored background.
Line drawing of a woman in a flowing dress, standing in a pose with one leg forward, one arm behind her back, and the other arm out to the side. The dress features detailed, layered fabric with horizontal and vertical lines.
Seven women dressed in glamorous evening gowns and jewelry, posing together indoors for a group photo.
A sign with the words "Atelier Versace" inside a decorative diamond shape, beside a drawing of a woman in a form-fitting dress with intricate patterns, high heels, and long earrings.
A black-and-white photo of a man in a light-colored suit with his fists clenched, standing next to a woman with short, dark hair in a light-colored outfit and necklace, at what appears to be a social gathering or event.
Close-up of a person with short hair, wearing a black jacket, white shirt, and a gold necklace, with a light background.
Three people engaged in a conversation indoors, with clothing racks in the background, and a heart-shaped object on the wall.
A display window of a clothing store showing mannequins and clothing items, with a sign that says 'Joe' at the top.