You joined Greece’s Next Top Model as one of the main judges, bringing a fresh and international perspective to the show. How did this opportunity come to you, and what made you say yes?
I’m always surrounded by people who push me further. A friend suggested it, the timing felt right, TV came when I was ready. I wanted to shake things up and push the girls and the boys, make them see fashion isn’t just clothes. It’s attitude, confidence, owning your story. I wanted to bring the global, modern edge that I’ve learned in Europe working with mega brands such as Burberry, Erdem and Victoria Beckham. Also Fashion people are real people bold, alive, part of life, not stuck in a bubble.
Stepping into the GNTM judging panel introduced you to a new level of visibility and connection with emerging talent—how has that experience, along with the responsibility it carries, influenced you personally and creatively?
GNTM isn’t just judging, it’s feeding off the fearless boys and girls, breaking rules, and keeping everything real. It pushes me to take risks I might never have tried on my own. Watching them claim their space reminds me why I do what I do. We create, to challenge, and to make people feel alive and stronger. I wanted the models to break the norms and find an unapologetic existence, that’s the kye from a model to become a super model.
Fashion today is deeply connected to personal storytelling. With House of Jaffa’s bold Queer Middle Eastern aesthetic, what story were you aiming to tell when you founded the brand, and how has that vision evolved through your work today?
House of Jaffa was born in London, but its soul comes from Jaffa — the port of Andromeda, where the sky bleeds into the sea. I’ve always been obsessed with the constellations that guided travellers, the myths of heroes like the Dioscuri, and the raw, electric energy of bodies in motion. Our designs are charged with desire, with tension, a celebration of bold, fearless beauty. House of Jaffa isn’t about borders or labels it’s about the journey, the fire, the light, and the thrill of being unapologetically you.
The label blends Mediterranean romanticism with gender-fluid silhouettes. How do cultural roots influence your creativity?
I’m Greek, but my heritage traces back to merchants who moved from Spain to Italy, through Asia Minor, and into Greece. Golan comes from French, Moroccan, and Egyptian roots, with a grandfather who was a diplomat and a father who grew up all across Africa. We both carry layered histories, and grew up on varied and rich iconography and superstitions. We fused all of that with our London multiculturalism education.
Our creative start point comes from the Mediterranean sun on bare, tanned skin, the heat in August that makes you sweat and burn with desire.
House of Jaffa explores identity, sensuality, and freedom. In today’s climate, do you feel fashion can still be a form of activism?
Fashion is the body, desire, and danger you wear. At House of Jaffa, every piece drips with lust, tension, and skin-on-skin heat, it provokes, it questions, it seduces. Dressing isn’t just clothes; it’s an act, a performance, a little rebellion you carry on your own body.
