by Vand Magazine Editorial Team
The Greek-American designer arrived at Vancouver Fashion Week FW26 with The Jungle Feveress, a collection that is messy, torn, stained, and unapologetically alive. Fresh from winning Best New Designer at Athens Fashion Week for The Reigning Balkan Princess, Chantal brought her signature “Balkan maximalism” across the Atlantic, proving that imperfection is not just acceptable, it is the entire point.
Her runway was not a parade of polished perfection. It was a party. Models didn’t walk; they grooved, they interacted, they inhabited the music Chantal herself composed. The clothes, constructed from thrifted Greek domestic textiles like semedakia (embroidered tablecloths) and mandilakia (handkerchiefs), carried the stains and tears of their past lives, transformed into garments that refuse to be quiet.
Identity is not something you inherit intact. It is something you tear apart and rebuild with your own hands. Sophia Chantal understands this instinctively.
Vand: You transitioned from New York to Athens. How does navigating these two radically different cultural landscapes shape your identity and creative DNA?
Sophia Chantal: I think New York gave me the vision, but Greece gave me the materials. They’re both aggressive cultures and places in the world that sort of force you to figure yourself out to survive. I think the combination of the two has driven me into a ruthless persistence of self-discovery, and through that, I am constantly giving birth to art in many different shapes and forms.
This is not fusion-it is friction. Chantal does not blend her Greek and American identities into a smooth synthesis. She lets them collide, and from that collision, something raw and electric emerges.
Vand: You upcycle traditional Greek domestic textiles. What is the emotional process of transforming something so delicate and traditional into bold “Balkan maximalism”?
Sophia Chantal: I think it’s beautiful to give life to things that have been basically discarded or thrown away. If you just look at them from a different angle, they take on a completely new and exciting identity. There’s something so wonderful about that. Knowing that these things now being worn came from somewhere where they were used for a different intention.
Vand: The Jungle Feveress is described as “messy, almost unfinished, torn, and beautifully ruthless.” Why showcase this raw, undone aesthetic in an industry that demands polished perfection?
Sophia Chantal: It is important for me, in general, to showcase that imperfection is beautiful. I’ve struggled my whole life being my own biggest critic, trying to be perfect, and only through my realization that not being perfect is the point, have I found my way in life. I feel that the more the fashion industry strives to deliver perfection, it only puts us (women) into a box even more. And honestly, that old cliche saying of “perfect is boring” couldn’t be more true. It’s lifeless and charmless and characterless. I want to see a flaw, I want to feel something, I want to see evidence of a past life. Making a skirt out of a stained tablecloth and wearing it and having it still be SICK (if I do say so myself) is just freaking cool. Even though it’s just a garment, I feel like that somehow can translate over to the woman wearing it. Like, hey, this is raw and undone and stained, but it’s still beautiful just like me.
Vand: Our team was captivated by your runway presentation-the models grooved to the music instead of doing a standard walk. Given your background as a DJ, is this music-driven energy a signature of your brand?
Sophia Chantal: I think it is. I wrote the music for this show and my previous one at AFW, and I tried to explain the energy I had in mind to the models. I don’t want the same thing everyone has. I want the show to be an immersive experience. I want it to take you somewhere. It’s not JUST about the clothes. It’s the whole story. So yes, I think the music has a HUGE part to play in the signature of my brand because it’s a huge part of me and my life.
When asked if she designs the music or composes the music to match the clothes, Chantal laughs: “The music definitely comes after the clothes. I made this track one week before it was due, and I can’t believe it myself. I’m so proud.”
Vand: After winning Best New Designer at Athens Fashion Week, what statement did you want to make by bringing The Jungle Feveress to Vancouver?
Sophia Chantal: I wanted to prove to myself that I can translate my vision anywhere. That just because I’m the reigning Balkan Princess, doesn’t mean I can’t reign elsewhere. And just because my clothes have a Greek identity or stamp doesn’t mean they can’t be admired outside of Greece. And I think I showed myself that in Vancouver. Like, people get me and what I’m doing. And not only do they get it, but they love it. It’s opened up a window to the world for me.
Vand: Your message is about “taking the fear out of being female” so that the jungle becomes yours. For young women watching your runway, what does it mean to actively “strut IN” their flaws?
Sophia Chantal: It means to take up space. I never understood that expression when I was younger. But it’s the best message out there. I used to think I couldn’t have the life I wanted because of my flaws or what I was lacking. Stop making yourself small just because you are flawed; that doesn’t mean you deserve less. You deserve the world and more just because. You don’t have to earn it or pray for it or beg for it. You deserve it just because you are who you are, and that’s enough. So wear yourself proud.
Sophia Chantal’s work is not about empowerment in the abstract. It is about permission – permission to be messy, to be unfinished, to carry your stains visibly and still demand the world.
The Jungle Feveress is a declaration: that femininity does not require perfection. That heritage can be torn apart and reassembled. The jungle does not belong to the fearless; it belongs to those who have decided fear is no longer relevant.
Take up space. Wear yourself proud. The jungle is yours.
Sophia Chantal presents The Jungle Feveress at Vancouver Fashion Week FW26.
