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www.panos.com
Success is an idea, the rest is just work
Panos Papadopoulos
Contents
Our Greek heritage
A 25-year odyssey
Greece, approxemately 3000 years later
Hard times and public dissident
Finding a new home
First publicity, venture human behavior
A market is made up of people
Take-off
Problems and opportunities
Pushing the frontiers
Going underground
Extending areas of design and activities
PLSK Ljungskile
The Mew Miss Sweden
Continuing my Odyssey
Significant moments
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6
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10
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38
44
50
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64
68
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Odysseus, king of Ithaca
”We have at least two things in common, old Odysseus
and me. We are both Greeks and we have both been
away on a very long journey with a very uncertain goal.
Sometimes I think my journey has been an even longer
one than that of Odysseus. As a homage to Odysseus,
the great believer, his struggle is included in this book. No
© Panos Emporio AB 2011
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other comparisons are needed.
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Our Greek Heritage
You don’t have to be Greek by marriage like Tom
Hanks. Or by birth like Panos Papadopoulos
and Motley Crew’s drummer, Tommy Lee. You
don’t need to have Greek parentage, like Jennifer Aniston and Kelly Clarkson. All you need to
do is live.
Every time you cry over a tragedy, laugh at a comedy, ask to use the telephone, vote for democracy or try to solve a problem using logic, you
are touched by an invisible historical thread that
can be traced all the way back to Greece.
If you loved ”Xena - The Warrior Princess”, then
you have also met the Gods and heroes of Greek
mythology. One of them was half horse, and half
man. He was the teacher of Achilles, Orpheus
and Hercules, and also famous for his musical
ability. They called him Cheiron.
Cheiron is the name super-producer Denniz Pop
adopted for his recording studio that saw artists
like Britney Spears and songwriters like Max
Martin launched in the music world.
In as many ways as there are stars in the sky,
Greece is in our hearts and minds, every day of
every year.
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A 25-year odyssey
Physically, my odyssey has taken me from sunny,
glittering Greece, blessed by the Mediterranean
Sea, to Sweden, in the vicinity of the North Pole.
A country where the sun shines bleakly during
six months of the year.
Mentally I have travelled far further. The road
was never straight and there have been obstacles along the way. But the energy I gained from
working alongside a hugely inspiring phenomenon - many of the world’s most brilliant personalities - has steeled me in the face of adversity,
and paved the way to success.
Despair was the starting point for my odyssey:
a driving force that metamorphosed into prosperity and a richness in quality of life that still is
hard for me to grasp. Thank you, despair, for setting me on my way.
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The Trojan War
came to an end
Greece, approximately
3000 years later
I learned the value of hard work at a very early
age. I got my first job when I was eight years old,
in a small local store. I had seen a comb with a
beautiful golden case in the store window, and I
wanted it so very badly. The owner was amused
when I offered my services, but he gave me a
chance to prove my ability.
When the 10-year-long war came to an end, Troy laid
in ruins. Odysseus gathered his few surviving men
and set off in twelve ships towards his home, Ithaca.
Rather surprisingly, I managed to increase the
shop’s sales revenue, and with my first salary
I bought the comb I had yearned for. I learned
that dreams were within reach. Small dreams
perhaps, but why not apply my new discovery to
achieving greater conquests as well?
Odysseus started out on a Northerly course towards
the land of the Cicones, where he burned and looted
the capital city. The Cicones counter-attacked and six
men on each of Odysseus’ ships were killed. The others managed to escape with some of the booty.
Out on the Ægean Sea, a tremendous storm raged
for three days. It blew the convoy across the Mediterranean Sea, all the way to the coast of North Africa.
Panagiotis Papadopoulos, ”Panos” was born in the spring of 1958. He was raised together with his siblings
Spiros and Giota, in Elefsis, one of the most historical and fascinating parts of Athens, the capital of Greece.
By this time the nation was suffering from war, devastation, a failing economy and military rule.
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Dangerous pleasure
Hard times and
public dissident
In contemporary Greece, free thinking was
heavily controlled by the Government. Corruption and injustice had been legitimised. I experienced these restrictions as a painful curtailing
of my freedom, and felt suffocated by the hostile
atmosphere that pervaded our society.
The lotus-eaters, who inhabited the coast, proved to
be friendly people. They welcomed Odysseus and
I once witnessed a terrible accident in the factory where I was working, in which a colleague
of mine was killed in an explosion. The legal proceedings that followed revealed the existence of
a calculated threshold tolerating a certain level
of fatal accidents in factories. The law was allowing industry to avoid taking responsibility for
the loss of a certain number of lives in the normal
course of an individual company’s operation.
his men when they went ashore to look for drinking
water. The crew was offered fruits from the lotus tree
and they became affected in a very pleasant way. For
days, the Greek men continued to eat fruits and rest
in the comfortable climate. Slowly they all forgot the
fact that they were on their way to Ithaca.
Odysseus tied the crew up with ropes and carried
them back to the ships. The men cried and begged
to stay with the lotus-eaters, but Odysseus did not
listen. He sailed on.
This is only one of many examples of legal and
political abuse affecting the people of Greece. I
could not remain silent, simply an observer of so
much legal injustice surrounding me - I had to
take action!
Greek army tanks rolled through central Athens on 18 November 1973. The military
action against the uprising caused dozens of
deaths and helped hasten the fall of the military junta.
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Photo: Vassilis Karamanolis AP/Kathimerini
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It did not take long for the authorities to single
me out as one of the ’awkward squad’, and their
ever more frequent threats sent me a message
that was crystal clear.
It ended with me having to leave the country, and
under rather dramatic circumstances I managed
to cross the border.
King Constantine gave a veneer of legitimacy to the dictators until his abortive counter-coup and flight from Greece
in December 1967. He is seen here swearing in the first
government under the colonels. Colonel Papadopoulos
stands behind the king’s choice for prime minister, Konstantinos Kollias (bespectacled).
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I had heard about Sweden, a cold country far
to the North and a land of winter tales, and of
Christmas and Santa Claus. I had also heard it
was a country built around gentle, profoundly democratic and humanistic principles, and to me
it sounded like an environment where dreams
could grow wings and fly.
Panos Papadopoulos (no relationsship
with the Colonel) in the foundy in Elefsis,
where he at the age of 16, worked during
school-holidays.
Odysseus blinds the Cyclops
Finding a new home
Gothenburg, Sweden, 1977. I set foot in my new
country, still with the Southern sun in my eyes.
My first memory of Sweden is of the cold air, and
a magnificent silence: a sense of peacefulness
describes it best. Of course it was not easy to
start with: I had to overcome obstacles such as
learning the language and the inevitable financial problems, and loneliness was perhaps the
worst problem I had to face. After all, I had left
my family and friends behind.
The storm sent Odysseus and his ships to unknown
surroundings. Sheep were grazing on an island and
the starving and thirsty Greeks went ashore. Odysseus and twelve of his men were exploring a cave when
Polyphemos, a cyclops and one of Poseidon’s sons,
closed the cave’s opening with an enormous stone.
Still, I was happy to have found a place with sufficient tolerance and permissiveness to allow
everyone to create their own destiny. I really felt
that Sweden was filled with the opportunities I
lacked in Greece.
The one-eyed giant immediately devoured six of the
men. Cloyed, the cyclops sat down to rest. Odysseus
gave him wine to drink and Polyphemos fell into a
heavy sleep.
Odysseus heated a sharp pole and drew it into the
cyclops’ only eye. The blinded giant tried to capture
the men by blocking the opening of the cave. The
men managed to escape by hiding under the bellies
of the sheep when they left the cave for their daily
grazing.
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I met many people here that gave me opportunities instead of holding me back. They gave
me huge quantities of energy, allowing me to
thrive and move forward in the right direction.
The answer ’No’ only meant ’Try again’, or ’Try
another way’.
I was given the chance to study and to work, and
studying brought me closer to the human mind,
and captivated my attention. Getting to know
myself, and the people around me, and to really
understand them, became my mission.
In search of a career path; once Panos had learned Swedish, he used his new skills to teach others. He worked
at KomVux, a college for grown-up students, as a teacher and translator in the Greek language. He took on
other employment as well, as a prison warder, and a foreign correspondent for a Greek newspaper.
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Angering Æolus and
lost again
First publicity,
venture human behaviour
How human being socialize - the refined game
human beings play, in which we all have to take
part, is a subject of particular fascination to me. I
started to study human behaviour in nightclubs,
an environment expressly constructed for human entertainment.
First page of Göteborgs-Posten
12 februari 1983
For many men and women, however, a visit to
a nightclub often ended with trouble, fights, and
people walking out on each other. It all seemed
so brutal and pointless to me, and I wanted to
get to the root of the problem. In 1983, I published a sociological study on this topic, and the
media were suddenly there to support it.
Æolus, the God of wind, captured all winds except
the one from the west, and confined them in a bag
which he gave to Odysseus. With only the West wind
freely operating, Odysseus was able to sail all the
This was my first contact with the public and the
media corps, and a very pleasing encounter it
was too: the start of a long and respectful relationship.
way to Ithaca. He guarded the bag closely during the
journey but, close to home, he fell asleep exhausted.
Some of the men in the remaining crew opened the
bag in search of treasure.
The winds were set free in a monstrous tempest. The
ships were thrown back out on the open sea, and
Odysseus was lost again.
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He knows all there is to know about discotheques
- Guys regard the girls they meet in discos as one-night stands.
The girls say that all the guys they meet only have one thing in
mind. Harsh words about life in the disco world, pronounced by
someone who knows what they are talking about. Panagiotis Papadopoulos spent one year studying life in discotheques.
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At the coast of the Giants
A market is made up
of people
There is a Greek proverb that says; you have to
understand yourself before you can understand
others. Once I had really embraced the true
meaning of this saying, things began to turn my
way.
The wind-driven party from Ithaca sought refuge from
the storm close to a coast where enormous giants
were living. Instead of offering shelter and drinking
water, the malicious giants began to break off big
chunks of the cliffs and throw them at the ships.
Before Odysseus and his men were able to turn the
ships around and flee, eleven of them were ship-
The vital moment came to me one summer’s
day when I went to a beach on the West coast
of Sweden. The black, cold water of the North
Sea had little in common with the overwhelming
world of colours I was used to in the Mediterranean. Looking around me, I saw beautiful
people, but all wearing black and rather boring
beachwear. All those gorgeous-looking bodies
with no expression whatsoever. It was so different from the southern European way: and so
different from myself. Everything was so black,
it was quite depressing, but it gave me a new
idea.
wrecked. Only the ship steered by Odysseus was
saved, and was able to sail out of reach.
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I wanted to make these people to feel good
about themselves and their bodies. I wanted to
help them find the courage to express their personality even on the beach, to feel unique and
beautiful. Maybe I was on to something.
21
This is the swimsuit ”Santorini” from
the first Panos Emporio Collection
1986.
Both the cuts with the high
leglines and the amount of colours
involved pushed the boarders of beachwear design in its time.
I talked to people; I talked to the traders and
storekeepers and pursued market research on
the topic. It revealed that every woman tries on
30 to 40 pieces of swimwear in the changing
room before making her final decision. I was
stunned by the result: there had to be something missing from the Scandinavian leisurewear
market. What really counts when it comes to
feeling comfortable on the beach?
The answer was really simple once I looked
into it. Three key notions; perfect fit, innovative
design and high quality. This trio underpins the
foundations of the Panos Emporio, and its inherent simplicity always helps bring me back to
essentials, and to find the right inspiration.
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Using this knowledge as starting point, I created
my first collection in 1986, and it continued to
inform all the collections that followed.
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The magic of Circe
Take off
The key to success is to bring something new
to the market. The daring design of Panos Emporio lifted the very essence of swimwear to a
higher level and such things do not pass unnoticed in Scandinavia. I suddenly found myself the
centre of a new kind of attention, people (both
public figures and unknown) contacted me, not
only wanting to wear my outfits, but wanting to
model for Panos Emporio. Some of them were
such interesting characters, and I saw something unique in their personalities, something the
media apparently didn’t see.
Circe, daughter of Helios, god of the sun, used her
magical ability and transformed the men into pigs
when they turned up on her island. Odysseus stayed
on the ship for a while longer. On his way to the palace of Circe, Odysseus met Hermes, who told him how
to resist the goddess’s magic. Odysseus succeeded
Panos Emporio has boosted the careers of
many bright shining stars, many of whom were
not model material according to the media and
its spokesmen. They were either too heavy, too
thin, too short, too whatever.
Call me stubborn, but I consulted my own guts
instead. Now we all know the result of that.
and threatened Circe with instant death if she did not
release the men from the spell.
One full night in Circe’s bed was a part of the deal.
The night turned out to be so successful that Odysseus stayed with Circe for a full year.
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Jannike Björling
A contemporary It-girl, Jannike Björling, jet set lady
and formerly married to the Swedish tennis champion,
Björn Borg, modelled for Panos Emporio in 1988. The
assignment was the start of a beautiful career for Jannike as a professional model.
World Champion in Fivos swimsuit.
Frank Andersson is one of the most successful wrestlers that Sweden has produced. He won the World Championship
in Greek-Roman wrestling three times
between 1977 and 1982. He also won
the bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics
in Los Angeles.
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Victoria Silvstedt
At a time when the standards for
fashion models moved towards unhealthy thinness, Panos contracted
Victoria as headmodel. It turned
out successfully for both of them.
The public welcomed the breakage
of the trend and Victoria moved on
to the international scene.
Dr Alban
Alban Nwapa was born in Nigeria but moved to Sweden in 1979. After completing
his dentistry exams, he decided to give
music a try. His debut album ”Hello Africa”
achieved Platinum certification, and he
was the first artist ever to work with the legendary Dennis Pop.
Dr Alban’s strong commitment to fighting
for human rights in Africa has made him a
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close friend of Nelson Mandela.
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Helena Paparizou
Our 2004 model was Helena Paparizou, lead singer of
the Greek pop group ”Antique”. The following year Helena
went solo and won the European Song Contest with ”You
are the one”. This was the first time ever that Greece had
the honour of arranging the following contest.
Tracy Bingham
The Baywatch super star, Tracy
Bingham modelled for Panos Emporio in 1999. She was astonished
by the high level of professionalism that characterized the photo
session, and the results were just
smashing.
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Janina Frostell
Finnish supermodel, pop singer and activist
in the struggle against breast cancer, Janina
Frostell modelled for Panos Emporio on several occasions during 1999-2002. She was
also nominated the sexiest woman in Finland
for four years in a row.
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José Solano
Wendy Dubbeld
Another Baywatch actor, José Solano, was
21st century super model, was
the Panos Emporio model for the men’s col-
Panos Emporio’s face between
lection in 1999. José was reputed at the time
2005-2007. During her years with
to be the most beautiful man in the world.
Panos she launched many great
selling campaigns. She is still a
frequently hired model for many
well-known lingerie brands.
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Swedish singer Carola Häggkvist
made a spectacular breakthrough in
1983 when, aged just 16, she represented Sweden at the European Song
Contest in Rome and finished in a respectable third position, with the song
”Främling”. She was back in 1991
and won the contest outright singing
”Fångad av en stormvind”. She went
on to make a third appearance in Athens with the song ”Invincible” which
scored highly, and finished in fifth place overall.
Ten years after its launch, Carola is
still wearing Paillot. Both are still contemporary figureheads today.
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The kingdom of the dead
Problems and
opportunities
What does the term ’Innovative design’ really
mean? For me, it means working miracles on a
piece of cloth, 15-20 centimetres square. This
is a tiny workspace, to be sure. How does one
bring something new to the marketplace, time
and time again, in view of these limitations?
In order to discover more about his impending journey back to Ithaca, Odysseus went to see Tiresias,
the blind oracle. Being deceased, he was to be found
in the kingdom of the dead. Trembling with terror,
Odysseus entered Hades. Tiresias told him which
way to sail and what dangers awaited him.
You find a problem - and come up with a solution.
Or, even better, you make something people did
not even know they wanted, creating your own
market. One thing I have learned about innovation is that patience is needed behind the process of creating something totally new.
During the research phase, you will always encounter resistance, and the stronger the resistance, the more confident you should be. It �s a
sign that you are on the right track.
Push-up
Panos Emporio even invented the very idea of
the push-up top. Technically is is the hardest
piece of garment to develop. The fitting is crucial and thoroughness in craftmanship must
be applied down to the smallest detail. Every
On his way out of Hades, Odysseus met his own
woman knows what this innovation has done
mother, of whose death he knew nothing. During
to her self-confidence on the beach
the sad meeting, Odysseus learned about the sad
circumstances of Ithaca. He learned that his palace
was occupied by suitors asking for Odysseus’ queen,
Penelope’s hand in marriage, and thereby the right
to seize the crown of Ithaca. Penelope, while fearing
that Odysseus had died during the war, was constantly avoiding making a final decision.
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Symmetrics
An advanced concept designed to help a man
to keep his secrets. Contemporary swimmingtrunks had a tendency to be skin-tight when
rising up from the water. In the media, this
launch resulted in headlines such as: “The first
leg-up for men”.
Mix & Match
All women have their own individual measurements and body shapes of. Preferences also
vary when it comes to the cut of swimwear.
Introducing the first Mix & Matck programme,
Panos Emporio left the choice where it belongs. The concept of multiple tops and bottoms customers can choose between is still a
winner, and other swimwear producers have
adopted the concept themselves of necessity.
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Panos identified a particularly female
issue, whereby many women want to
swim and sunbathe in a bikini, but find
that walking around in a bikini leaves the
body over-exposed to the sun’s harsh
rays. Paillot solved that problem. A twopiece with multiple styles. The wearer can
change depending on her mood. A bikini,
tube top and a miniskirt, all in one.
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The attac of the Sirens
Pushing the frontiers,
launching Unlimited Love
Traditional thinking has never been sacred in my
book. I do not segment the market according to
age, ethnicity, skin colour or sexual orientation.
Nonetheless, it has to be said that open-minded thinking can attract enemies, and namely
xenophobia and homophobia.
Panos ®
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Unlimi
I nearly lost my inspiration in 2004, severely
doubting my ability to find new paths for my
creativity. I searched within, and started to write
down my thoughts on a piece of paper. As a humanist I get affected by life itself, and the people
around me.
On his way Westwards, Odysseus passed the islands
of the Sirens. The sirens were both women and birds,
Love is the strongest force to ever influence the
world: why do we put it in chains?
and sang with wonderful voices. Their songs were so
heavenly that seamen who heard them were instantly
bewitched and wanted nothing more but to stay on
the island.
Odysseus made wax plugs and squeezed them into
the ears of the crew so they were totally deaf. Odys-
The poem that emerged was to become the essence of a new kind of Panos Emporio design.
We launched the Unlimited Love line along with
its message that love is a human and universal force that each and every one is free to express.
seus tied himself to the mast of the ship. Passing the
island he shouted orders to the rowing crew to release him, but nobody heard his cries and they all
were saved.
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Aleka
To really get the message out about love being
boundless, the original model for the line was
drag queen star Rickard Engfors. I chose him,
not just because he looks gorgeous in my outfits, but because he represents a culture that
challenges conventions in a way I admire and
respect.
Love, the power that transports our
feelings beyond the clouds
Beyond borders far away, where the
horizon falls away
Where lips bleed from the kiss of the
carnation,
Where narcissism smiles, but like the
awareness of a tender bird.
Unfortunately the market was not ready to hear
this message, and distributors in several markets threatened to cancel their orders. I was
forced to withdraw the catalogue, and arrange
another photo session.
How man has reduced it!
How man has bound it
Like a maiden in her bed.
However, I think this tells us something important about the world we live in, and I also think
that the market would react differently had I
done it today. At least I hope they would.
Rickard
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U
Panos ®
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nlimit
Why were you captured, Love?
What hand hurt you so?
What power envied you so?
Love, how I want to take you with me
And you to take me with you.
No more, shall you weep; shall I weep;
The horizon shall not divide us,
For it no longer rests in Sappho’s dream.
Unlimited, the touch of our lips;
Unlimited, the love in our gaze;
Unlimited, the unparalleled love reflecting
from the light, flowing hair
Of Aphrodite herself
Poem by Panos
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Scylla and Carybdis
Going underground
In 2006, I found a new source of inspiration.
While attending a fashion show in London, I
recognized the creativity that was flourishing
among underground subcultures, with their rebellious, uncompromising convictions and beliefs. I was fascinated by the idea of combining
two completely opposed worlds: luxurious beach fashion on the one hand, and the influence
of Punk, Goth and Oi on the other. Was it even
possible?
On the shores of a narrow channel lived the two seamonsters, Scylla and Carybdis. The former had six
A year later Panos Emporio presented Poison
by Panos, an interpretation and assimilation of
two totally different views of design. Many said
that Poison by Panos proved it was indeed possible to create a collection that was sophisticated yet uncompromising and true to its origins,
and I think they were right.
heads, each of them eagerly devouring humans, given the opportunity. Carybdis created a giant maelstrom on her side of the strait, forcing Odysseus to
pass mortally close to Scylla.
For me, Poison by Panos forced me to overcome
my own prejudices in order to get close to the individual, proud subculture souls. It forced me to
reassess my personal definition of beauty.
Despite rowing as fast as possible, Scylla snapped
away six of the men, but the rest of the crew and the
ship made their way through.
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The oxen of Helios
Extending areas of design
and activities
To design is to transform function into fashion,
and add personality. Why be limited to beachwear? There is no good reason. Beachwear involved one intensive period of designing each
year, and one single launch date. The thrill of
receiving first reactions from the press and the
marketplace are the best days of the year.
Bengt Westerberg
Former Chairman of the Swedish liberal party, Minister for social welfare,
Vice prime minister, and Chairman of
the Swedish Red Cross: Bengt Westerberg modelled for our launch of the
new line of Panos Emporio business
briefcases.
I wanted to feel that excitement more often.
In Trinakia, on the coast of Sicily, Helios kept his oxen.
Odysseus knew that no one, under any circumstances, was allowed to disturb the cattle belonging to
Helios. The men were starving and no supplies were
to be found on board the ship. Some of the crew ignored Odysseus’ prohibition and slaughtered one of the
oxen. Odysseus sensed the smell of the barbecue
and feared that disaster was to come.
When Helios found out what happened, he persuaded Zeus to hit the ship with lightning. A thunderstorm
crashed the ship into pieces. Odysseus tied together
some debris from the wrecked ship and survived. All
the other men drowned.
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Less is More
Panos Emporio has launched several
luxurious ranges of shoes and bags.
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Robes and Gowns
In collaboration with Marks Pelle Vävare, Panos
designed and produced a line of exclusive robes and gowns in the best quality cotton terry he
could find.
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Wedins lyfter på Panoseffekten1
Uppdaterad 2006-10-23 16:31
Lyftet i Wedins aktie från fredagen höll i sig efter
helgen. Marknaden tar rygg på nya storägaren
Panos Emporio. Men vad har han i kikaren för
bolaget?
Skokedjan aktie har på mindre än två börsdagar tagit tillbaka hela
tappet från i början av augusti. Även om det är långt kvar från dagens
kurs på omkring 10,20 kronor till årshögsta på lite över 17 kronor från
i våras är det en ordentlig återhämtning från 8,50 kronor så sent som i
fredags morse.
Panos nekas styrelseplats i Wedins2
Uppdaterad 2006-12-19 13:54
Stockholmsbörsen:
Wedins faller efter
Panos utträde3
Uppdaterad 2007-01-31 10:20
Ett annat företag på förlorarlistan var Wedins, vars aktie tappade med 4,2 procent, efter att
storägaren Panos Papadopoulos
retirerat och sålt sin ägarandel
på 7 procent i Wedins, sedan
han nekats styrelseplats.
Vem eller vilka som har köpt Panos Papadopoulos andel är ännu inte känt. Under onsdagsmorgonen mäklade HQ Bank en post om
6,7 procent i Wedins
Baddräktskungen Panos Papadopoulos nekas
en plats i Wedins styrelse, trots att han är fjärde
största ägare. Det framgår av kallelsen till bolagsstämman.
Ett nytt ägarbråk är under uppsegling i skokedjan . Nya storägaren
Panos Papadopoulos får ingen plats i styrelsen, trots att hans representant i valberedningen krävt det.
60
An opportunity to use the knowledge I had acquired in the fashion business arose when a sizeable proportion of the stock in shoe retailer Wedins came up for sale in 2006. I was convinced
that Panos Emporio - with its marketing ’muscle’
and distribution networks - could help relaunch
Wedins and make it into a winner once more. I
was prepared to give Wedins my undivided attention, and a full focus.
My arrival in the company became the starting
point for a ruthless struggle for power among the
major shareholders. I realized that in such a situation everybody works only in their own interest,
and not in the interest of the company.
I learned my lesson and made a swift exit.
1. Wedins soares on the Panos-effect
2. Panos denied a chair on the board
Nils Åkesson
Dagens Industri
3. Stockholm exchange: Wedins down after Panos
exit
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Inprisioned by Calypso
PLSK Panos Ljungskile
By now you will have realised that I am a man
driven by passion, and so it will come as no
surprise that soccer is a great passion of mine.
From my childhood I remember soccer as a forbidden game, as the grown-ups always seemed
to get angry with us boys playing soccer, and
they frequently found a reason to interrupt our
game for. We never got to play as much as we
wanted.
After the shipwreck, Odysseus floated ashore onto
the island of Malta, where Calypso lived. She was a
nymph with powerful capabilities, and she held Odysseus imprisoned with her bonds of love. Odysseus
stayed for many years with Calypso, who every night
proved her love, leaving Odysseus without a will of
his own.
Zeus sent Hermes to Calypso to convince her of the
Panos Emporio became the leading
sponsor of Ljungskile’s soccer team. The
team’s members voted to rename itself
Panos Ljungskile, and when they made
their first kick-off in the premier league, I
was on the grandstand, proud as a peacock. It was a glorious moment!
When Ljungskile, the eponymous soccer team
from a small village on the West coast of Sweden, succeeded with the remarkable achievement of qualifying for the premier league in
1997, their story really got to me. The team had
managed to come this far with limited resources
and with no high profile recruiting, but now the
money was running out, and they could not fulfil
their dreams to participate in the League.
Of course I wanted to be a part of those dreams:
I simply could not stay away. It was a true love
story, and not a PR coup, as many suspected.
necessity of releasing Odysseus from her bonds of
love. Calypso knew that she had to obey Zeus and
she equipped Odysseus with a raft in exchange for
him staying one last night.
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Photo: Lasse Edwartz
Bohuslänningen
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Odysseus and Alcinous
The New Miss Sweden
During my years in the fashion business I have
seen many bad things happen, especially to
young women. The once-honoured Miss Sweden was one of them. The contest had degenerated at the beginning of the new millennium,
and had lost all coverage from TV and magazines, becoming a nightclub event. I felt the
urge to do something of consequence to inspire
young Swedish women, and took charge of the
contest in 2005.
As he sailed close to Ithaca one more time, Odysseus, now totally alone, was hit by a storm. Poseidon,
the father of the cyclops, vented his rage on the man
who had hurt his son. Odysseus would surely have
drowned if a nymph of the sea had not come to his
salvation.
Shipwrecked once again, and without clothes, Odys-
Instead of running the event as a beauty contest,
I tried to send out a new concept by giving the
contest a complete makeover, and relaunching
it in the form of a national recruiting programme.
The motto for the New Miss Sweden was smart,
strong and independent. The New Miss Sweden stands for togetherness, joy and positive
ideals.
seus reached the unknown shore. It happened that
Nausicaa, the daughter of King Alcinous, was present in the vicinity. She had mercy on the naked man
and helped Odysseus to the palace. During a dinner,
Odysseus told his long story to the King. So many
years of despair and hardship touched the King. After
Odysseus became exhausted and went to sleep, the
King ordered that he, undisturbed from his slumber,
I saw no reason why young women should have
to expose themselves in minimal clothing in order to be seen as a role models for others, so I
eliminated the swimsuit element from the pageant. The media was once again hot on the trail
of this new venture, mostly internationally, but
also in Sweden.
Josephin Alhanko Elected The New Miss Sweden in 2006.
should be taken by ship to the nearby Ithaca.
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The new look Miss Sweden did not, however,
silence the age-old critics of the pageant, mainly
members of the feminist movement. They refused to recognize Panos �s initiatives as a positive step for the modern woman.
On the other hand, one person who did react
was the head of Miss Universe in USA, Donald
Trump. Due to the elimination of the swimsuit
element, Miss Sweden was barred from the
Miss Universe contest. The Americans could
not handle the move towards modernity the
Swedish contest was making. To this day, they
still insist on judging their contestants on the
way they look in a bathing suit, rather than on
the beauty of their minds.
The New Miss Sweden contest now has its own
exhibition space in Moderna Muséet in Stockholm, Sweden. One would have to search long
and hard to find a more perfect space and environment for a formal beauty contest.
Azra Duliman
won the New Miss Sweden title in 2009. Soon to
graduate in Law, and involved in a Swedish-Bosnic
youth programme, Azra has all the personal attribu-
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tes of the committed, positive and dynamic young
Moderna museet, Stockholm
woman the Miss Sweden title sets out to inspire.
Photo: Moderna Museet / Prallan Allsten
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Finally back on Ithaca
Continuing my Odyssey
Now it is time to continue my journey, one which
seems to have only just begun. It is time to
break new ground, explore new territories, and
take on new challenges.
I recently realized a long-held dream of mine,
with the launch of a totally new clothing collection during 2010, heralding the start of a new
era for the Panos Emporio brand. We have remained true to the core values we embraced
from the outset, values our customers have always acknowledged and respected, and values
they are now delighted to see transposed into a
new line of business. It is still about innovative
design, perfect fit, personal style and fantastic
quality. It is still Panos Emporio.
Odysseus, disguised as a simple beggar, crept unseen into his own palace where all Penelope’s suitors
were enthroned. Apart from Penelope, his wife, there
were Telemachus, his son, and a handful of faithful
servants. Zeus showed his support for Odysseus by
The name of the first collection - the Panos Emporio Honeymoon Collection - reinforces the
idea that this is a new love. A new passion: not
just a fleeting one, but one that will last forever.
sending a lightning bolt as evidence. The day of justice dawned.
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Ithaca today
Significant moments
Certain things during my journey have had a
greater impact on me than others. When analysing what really formed my life and my personality, a few things pop up in my mind, reminding
me of what is important – and what is not.
Ithaca is an island in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, an
area of 45 square miles (120 km2) with just over three thousand inhabitants. Ithaca is an autonomous
municipality of the Kefallinia Prefecture, and lies off
the North East coast of Kefalonia, and to the West
and within sight of continental Greece.
The municipality of Ithaca includes a number of small
islands. The capital, Itháki (Vathý), has one of the
world’s largest natural harbours. Modern Ithaca is
generally identified with Homer’s Ithaca, the home of
One of many occurrences was in 1989 when I
travelled overseas for the very first time. My destination was Manila, to visit a particular beachwear supplier. The factory owner was the wife
of a very powerful politician, and during my stay
I was treated like royalty. I was provided with
a police escort wherever I went, and enjoyed
wonderful dinner parties with my noble hosts
and their society.
One morning I was given clearance to visit the
factory, and the sight that hit me still haunts me
in my nightmares. Small children everywhere,
hard working, lying on the floor, living under the
most dreadful circumstances. I was appalled!
Odysseus, whose delayed return to the island is a
key element in the Odyssey plot.
The island is easily reached by ferry, with several
lines serving Ithaca and the outlying islands in the
vicinity.
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realized that what I had done was the embryo
of what today is known as the company ”Code
of Conduct”.
Financial and business district of fashionable Manila,
Phillipines
The following evening I was once again invited
to dine with the socially privileged upper class
friends of my hosts. However, this meal did not
taste as good as the others had done, and as if
by a special omen, I was badly food poisoned.
What I lived through that night was a near death
experience. I was truly convinced that my life
was over. When I finally woke up, it was with
only one clear thought in my head - those children!
Another experience that made a major impression on me is when I first met Mr Jean Louis Dumas, chief of Hermès Fashion House. He and
I met on a very spiritual level, and developed a
profound and deep friendship. He was a great
inspiration to me, as I was to him, and he once
said to me; ”Panos, it does not matter if we work
in a large or a small perspective, as long as your
work makes you happy. What does it matter if
you have 50 customers or 50,000? If your company turns over 50,000 or 50,000,000? It is just
two or three zeros’ difference – that is all.”
What he meant was that in the end, we are all
the same – we must do what makes us happy,
no matter what it is. Sadly enough he passed
away during the Spring of 2010, but I will never
forget his wisdom.
Jean Louis Dumas, director of Hermés
I could not continue to collaborate with that
particular factory. On returning home, I wrote
a short, but very important, letter. Much later I
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So many stories, so many people, so many unexpected obstacles. The true meaning of ”Force
Majeure” was showing me its unpleasant side
for the first time in the Chernobyl disaster, an
occurrence that nearly wrecked my business
when it had just taken off.
Eighteen years later the Tsunami destroyed our
market in Thailand, where we had successfully
launched Panos Emporio just a few years earlier. And if anyone had asked young Panos in
Athens, if I thought that one day I would be deceived and misled by the Russian Mafia, after
several fruitful years in the communist Republic
of Russia – I would laugh at them as if they had
made a joke.
Many events have made their mark on my journey, making me even stronger and more determined, but they have also made me humble
about life itself, and its boundlessness.
The Tsunami-chatastrophy insoutheast Asia 2004. Ao
Nang, Thailand, same second as the wave hits the
coastline.
© David Rydevik
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My journey has taught me to act from my heart,
rather than solely from my head – this way of
doing business has always had a special significance for me. Don’t ask me whether it has
turned out to be the lucrative way of doing business, but money has never been something
that drove me on. My engine is life itself, and the
people in my life.
That means all the hundreds of people I have
met, all the wonderful business partners who
have made my work possible, collaborating with
me through good times and bad, and the thousands of people that acknowledge my work, buying my creations. It includes the wonderful 70year-old lady who wrote me a letter about how
my design had made a difference to her life; and
the man in the wheel chair, ill with cancer, who
paid me a visit before he died; and the 8-yearold boy who e-mailed me to tell me about his
dreams. He wanted to become a designer, and I
am sure one day his dream will come true.
It also means all of you – my customers!
Now I am continuing my odyssey, beginning a
new and exciting chapter. I hope you will all join
me.
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This Odyssey is a tribute to all the people in my life, whether
they are the women I have primarily designed for, or anyone else whose individuality and uniqueness is enriching our
world. I have tried to captivate and enhance the wearer’s
personality in much of my work. Through creating, I aim to
focus on the beauty inherent in everyone, and to emphasize that love is a universal construct that can only enhance
our future. My designs are the outward expression of these
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www.panos.com