A minute with Yiorgos Yiannou Costume Designer

Where do you live?
I live in the centre of Nicosia, with my two children Phaedra and Ektoras and my two cats Bonneux and Marine.

What did you have for breakfast?
Just an espresso coffee! More of a late eater!

Describe your perfect day
Waking up early in a tidy space, listening to music and having everything packed for spending a day at the beach with my family and friends. A long swim in the sea can set inner balance like nothing else. If you add joyful play with my kids, there’s happiness. Best closing for the day is having a tasty dinner in the historic centre of Limassol!

Best book ever read?
Difficult to pick one! I’ll choose the one that had the most impact on me when I was younger. The Castle by Franz Kafka had been my introduction to the world of existentialism and intrigued me to set my principles about life, society and self. Kafka expressed in a unique way the struggle for meaning and freedom in a paradoxical world. His books were a surface for inner agonies to be expressed at a crucial time of my growth.

Best childhood memory?
Growing up in the 90s in the centre of Limassol was a lot different than today! The vibe was more of laid back, small town where everybody knew each other. The sense of community and the safety that our neighbourhood provided gave us the chance to turn every day and any place into an adventure. One day, me and my friends took our bikes and went to a field where in the centre there was a huge wild fig tree (a rare kind that is now protected and the specific one still stands enormously beautiful). On that tree we made our first treehouse out of old broken pieces wood and a lot of ropes. It was simple as a structure but in our eyes, it was a glorious castle filled with fantasy and made by our own hands. We spent all day playing there, from early morning till our mothers’ voices called us for dinner!

What is always in your fridge?
A magnet tag a good friend gave me when I did one of my first theatre set designs. It says ‘I work cause I love this shit’. True and simple.

What music are you listening to in the car at the moment?
Soul and RnB. This week’s favourite is Family Affair by Sly and The Family Stone.

What’s your spirit animal?
Definitely a cat. My cat. My spirit animal lives in my house.

What are you most proud of?
That I didn’t give up my inner playful child. Many times, I have been forced out of my comfort zone but it is the main inspiration for my work.

What movie scene has really stayed with you?
In Aftersun, the scene where the father enjoys dancing but his daughter feels embarrassed, eventually she gives in to the joy of dancing and doesn’t care what others think. This scene I think reflects my relationship with my daughter.

If you could pick anyone at all (alive or dead) to go out for the evening with, who would it be?
Definitely Albert Camus, the greatest example of existentialism in action.

If you could time travel when/where would you go?
No other time but the present.

What is your greatest fear?
To not be able to share love with my loved ones.

What would you say to your 18-year-old self?
Trust your guts, smoke less.

Name the one thing that would stop you dating someone
Lack of empathy. And high-pitched voice.

If the world is ending in 24 hours what would you do?
Hug my kids. Say thank you to the people I love.