About Lotus and Palmette
An iconic pattern from ancient Greece, the Lotus and Palmette decorative band was in fact an appropriation. A composite of motifs clearly eastern in origin as betrayed by botanicals too exotic for this pocket of the Mediterranean. The Greeks in turn both exported the device back to Persia, and later Alexander's conquests took it as far afield as India, while continuing to further its development at home. Reiterations have found their way down to our day via varied cultural moments including the Victorian era, Art Deco and beyond.
Based in Athens, Greece and founded by Greek German American artist archaeologist Iris Plaitakis, Lotus and Palmette offers patterns for printed textiles and other surfaces, inspired by nature, the visual arts, historical surroundings and cross-cultural influences, always with an eye towards the lineage of traditions.
About Iris Plaitakis
Iris was born in New York, NY to Greek and German parents and grew up in NY and in Athens, Greece. She studied at Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and holds an M.Phil in Classical Archaeology from the University of Oxford. A strong impulse to share her passion for art and art making led her to museum education. She has worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Acropolis Museum among others, while maintaining a dynamic studio art practice and regularly exhibiting.
Pattern is her passion and has always been a focal point of her creative work. Since being an artist-in-residence at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn, NY, Iris has been designing and screen printing fabric. Via her brand, Lotus and Palmette, Iris offers her vision for printed pattern to a wider clientele, including textiles for fashion and more.