Centre of the Emporio

The directions from Nicole, Panos Emporio’s production manager, were clear. I began my drive that morning from fashionable Södermalm westward, toward Mölndal. Sweden is blessed with being well sign-posted and there are really two main ways to get to Borås, the largest city near Mölndal. The E20 proved to be the most efficient, with my stopping off at one Hydro station for a fill-up and to get a pen (kindly donated by the girl at the counter) and through some awful weather in the middle of the country.

Other than putting the windshield wipers on my turbodiesel Astra to full speed, it was an uneventful drive. The most exotic it got was bumping into a bunch of Australian tourists at McDonald’s on their way to Oslo that day and there were some brief thrills overtaking on a few narrow Swedish country routes. For most of my journey, a new Saab 9-5 accompanied me; it was a shame parting company with its skilful pilot as I departed from the E20.

I was late. The Panos building is less easy to find once one arrives in Mölndal, but after a few phone calls I managed to find the right place. Nicole—an Australian far away from home—greeted me and explained that I had just missed her illustrious boss, but in following months I would get to know Panos Papadopoulos even better than I had in my email interview with him back in 2000.

Panos Papadopoulos is a man with a social conscience, which probably makes him more suited to the Swedish mentality of looking after one another than one might think. And the Swedes love the idea of the faraway Mediterranean: putting Greek images on milk cartons instantly brings up ideas of a better lifestyle, even if we look jealously upon the Swedes themselves and their way of dress and their sense of style.

This passionate Greek is forever travelling, inspiring others of his vision. It’s about far more than the swimwear that bears his name: he has plans for education and filling in the gaps where he thinks governments have fallen short. Papadopoulos extends himself far more than others are ready for—so along with the swimwear designer (the sociologist really designs the items himself) there lies some frustration: that of the creative genius. People think I am energetic. I think Panos is energetic. The same people should meet him; then they will think I am lethargic.

His staff adore him. They were hired more on the designer's instinct than formal qualifications. I can understand this hiring policy: at my consulting business, I have generally stayed away from MBAs. They come to me with polished B-school language and it doesn't work. Seemingly, Papadopoulos, an expert observer of human behaviour, doesn’t have a bar of it, either.

Nicole and I chatted about our earlier lives Down Under, alluding to the Melbourne soap The Secret Life of Us, a hit in Sweden. She shows me the Panos Emporio retail set-up, making use of the typeface Optima and Greek patterns. Papadopoulos is passionate about his home culture, using Grecian columns for his shop displays and Greek names, including that of goddesses, for his swimwear items.

Previewing his summer 2003 range, I was told that real people were used to fit them. We examined some of the 2002 highlights in denim and the contrasting trim; the departures that were apparent in the 2003 offerings. And Panos’s summer footwear combined the same flair: Mediterranean freedom with Swedish sensibility.

Panos continues to place its offerings at a premium market-place position. The company is known for its quality and customers expect to pay more. And they would be paying for some piece of mind, too, particularly the more socially minded younger consumers: Panos Emporio is strict about its manufacturing, ensuring that suppliers adhere to a code of conduct and doing frequent spot checks. While no check can be a total surprise, it will be hard to pull one over a trained sociologist whose thesis centred on watching how young people interacted in nightclubs.

In later weeks, Panos Papadopoulos and I would chat on email, his search for a new signature face to accompany the Finnish actress Janina Frostell occupying part of our dialogue. We both bounced names off one another—American, Australian, European—but last month's selection of Yana Kay was his own, as the designer went to Riga, Latvia, with the Swedish Trade Council.

Papadopoulos met singer Yana Kay—the top Baltic female artist—in his native Greece and had reportedly become a fan of hers. It is no surprise in that they are kindred spirits: Panos, the multidisciplined designer; Kay, the singer who writes her own songs. And it also helps that Kay can model a swimsuit well.

Panos Emporio is already established in Latvia and Russia, so the development is a logical one for the company. And unlike some of the names which we had thought up, the idea of Yana Kay should transcend borders admirably. She is more than a pretty face; Traci Bingham, Victoria Silvstedt and Janina Frostell have talent but are remembered for being pretty faces, not to mention their figures. Come summer 2003, we will know how well the singer will look—and how it will cement the growing brand in the growing Baltic markets. •

Above: Current Panos model Janina Frostell in the Mani brief.

Jack Yan is founder and publisher of Lucire.

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