Hybrid Retail/Cultural Space to Debut in Greece

Slated to open next month in the Greek capital of Athens is Six Rings, which its backers describe in a news release as “a new cultural-retail experience bringing together emerging and established design talent.” An undertaking of the Onassis Foundation, the two-story space’s extensive retail offerings will include:

An adidas shop featuring its Y-3 apparel and footwear line, offerings by Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons, merchandise from Carhartt WIP jacket and vests, and such perfumers as Maison Crivelli and Matière Première Parfums. Athenian enterprises will include multi-brand retailer No3, Hyper Hypo bookshop and the Kopria flower shop.

“Throughout my career, I have been passionate about experimental retail concepts, discovering creative talent and building environments that allow a new way of thinking,” said Stavros Karelis, the foundation’s Head of Fashion. “With Six Rings, we have the opportunity to take this vision further, working alongside the Foundation’s Artistic Director, Afroditi Panagiotakou, to create a retail model where fashion, art and technology intersect, encouraging dialogue, curiosity and new cultural perspectives.”

The space in central Athens will also feature commissions and collaborations with artists from the Onassis Foundation’s cultural program, spanning music, dance, theater, visual arts and digital culture, as well as with Onassis ONX, the foundation’s global platform for art and advanced technologies that’s active in Athens and New York.

As for its design, the building’s exterior features a neon façade and logo by British artist Tim Etchells. (The Six Rings logo is inspired by the story of Aristotle Onassis’s idea of adding a sixth ring to the Olympic symbol for Olympic Airways.) Inside, Greek architect/scenographer Loukas Bakas sought to evoke a comfortable contemporary home.