Alexia Karides & YSSO: The Hidden Harmony of Opposites
This article was written by Demi Karanikolaou for Vimagazino / To Vima Greece - print & digital here
“The unique beauty of London lies in its ability to merge extremes in such a natural way,” I thought to myself, pulling my cashmere scarf tighter against the biting winter air as I walked briskly through Notting Hill. It is a modern sentiment, yet one echoed thousands of years ago, and many miles away from the British capital, by Heraclitus, who wrote that “the hidden harmony is better than the obvious.” It is a philosophy suggesting that beauty does not lie in the easy or the expected, but in the quiet resolution of opposites - a beauty born entirely of tension, where two forces pull in opposite directions to create a single, resonant note.
That afternoon, I was heading towards a pop-up for YSSO, the jewellery brand that seamlessly merges Greek craftsmanship with London’s curated eye and has been loved by global stars including Adele and Emily Blunt. On the streets outside, the rhythmic, analytical pulse of the city beat against the pavement. Yet inside, the air was thick with the emotional foundation of Athens. Surrounded by Greek-made jewels and the low hum of familiar conversation, the idea of “antithesis” felt perfectly aligned.
As I delved into a long conversation with YSSO co-founder Alexia Karides, it quickly became evident that the “hidden harmony” I witnessed was the result of a deeply personal, almost quiet evolution. “YSSO didn’t begin as a defined business idea at all,” she told me, taking me back to the very beginning of the brand. According to her, it began while she was still navigating the rigorous, analytical world of a lawyer in the City of London, simply wearing pieces her mother - also a co-founder - had lovingly crafted for her by hand. “I realised that what she was making for me was building into something like a personal archive of knowledge, forms, and techniques and that it had a relevance beyond the past,” she said, explaining that in that realisation she felt a profound responsibility to shape that emotional thread into a brand.
Alexia’s path from law to design had always struck a note close to home for me. I wondered how it felt for her to start building something so creative and tactile, coming from the more rigid environment of the corporate world. “It was a significant shift,” she agreed, touching on that very tension between her two lives. “Law trained me to think in a very structured, analytical way, whereas jewellery design is much more intuitive.” Yet, instead of seeing these two realities as parallel worlds, she found that the contrast was precisely what gave her an edge. While building a brand still demands a lawyer’s discipline and clarity, the creative process allowed her to tap back into her raw instincts. “There’s a different kind of satisfaction in working with something tangible,” she noted, “something you can hold, wear, and live with. It feels more immediate, and in many ways, more human.”
I wondered what Alexia felt was missing from jewellery before YSSO. “At the time, I felt that there was a gap between heritage and modernity, but also in showcasing the Greek expertise of jewellery-making abroad,” she replied confidently. “Greek jewellery was still very traditional, so I thought that merging modernity with traditional techniques would be very interesting for the new generation of consumers who value quality and design.” She added: “I wanted YSSO to sit in that tension, and to create pieces that feel as though they could belong to the past, but are entirely relevant today - to bring back a sense of meaning and permanence. Jewellery shouldn’t feel disposable; it should feel like something you return to over time.”
Ancient Greece has provided endless inspiration to brands worldwide - YSSO included - yet I could not help but wonder what “golden balance” guards the difference between merely referencing antiquity and truly understanding it. “Referencing can often feel surface-level - it’s about the origin of Greek aesthetics, in my opinion,” Karides noted, with the passion of someone deeply immersed in the subject. “Understanding it requires something deeper, but it also requires a willingness to deviate. It is about playing with proportion, materiality, and the intention behind objects. When you study ancient pieces closely, there is a clarity to them, but also a decorative essence which is purely artistic. I’m very conscious not to replicate the past, but to understand the principles behind it and reinterpret them in a modern context.”
This understanding of what constitutes a “decorative essence” over mere replication is perhaps what gives the brand its most modern edge. And indeed, in 2026, all brands need a strong, recognisable visual language. I wondered how Alexia would describe the core identity of YSSO, beyond the Hellenic motifs. “It is all about the interplay between restraint and intention,” she explained. “There is a sculptural quality to the pieces, but also a softness. Rather than being all about excess, it’s about form, texture, and how something sits on the body. There is also a quietness to the brand. I always felt that we don’t need to be loud to be expressive. Everything is considered, from the weight of a piece to how it moves - I think that creates a very specific, recognisable identity.”
How does a brand so rooted in antiquity - Alexia’s mother, Stalo, is an archaeologist - maintain such a contemporary edge? “Modernity comes through editing,” Alexia noted. “It is about knowing what to remove as much as what to add. While the references may be historical, the execution is always considered through a contemporary lens - how someone, like myself, would wear the piece today and how it fits into their life.” She further explained that there is always an emphasis on versatility and ease, with the pieces being designed to feel wearable instead of ceremonial. Indeed, Karides is often seen styling her striking 24-carat gold-plated YSSO pieces with minimalist T-shirts and oversized jumpers, proving that something uber-precious can, in fact, be effortless.
Beyond the brand, YSSO is also the story of a mother and daughter embarking on a shared creative journey. Being the daughter of an artist mother myself, I have always been fascinated by the delicate alchemy of such a bond. I wondered what this collaborative relationship had taught Alexia, both about design and about one another. “I always ask my mother’s opinion when I design - she has an incredible depth of knowledge and a very intuitive way of working,” she replied. “I’ve learned to respect that process, even when it differs from my own. It has allowed us to see each other in a new way - not just as family, but as creatives. There is a balance between continuity and evolution, and I think that’s what makes the relationship so meaningful.”
This balance is mirrored in the brand’s very geography - a constant, rhythmic pulse between two cities. While the “hidden harmony” may be rooted in Greek soil, its resonance is undeniably amplified by the clarity of the British capital. “London has been essential,” Alexia admits, noting that the city provided a global perspective from the very beginning. “It pushes me to be clear about what I’m doing with every element of the brand, as the consumer here is a very considered one - they care about the origin, the authenticity, and the story.” It is a unique synergy: Athens provides the “emotional and creative foundation” - the soul, the materials, and the craftsmanship - while London provides the design framework and visibility. In this sense, YSSO exists in an international headspace where the heritage of the Mediterranean is curated through a sharp, contemporary lens. It is the ultimate resolution of Alexia’s two worlds: one city giving the jewellery its heart, the other giving it its reach.
It is this very dialogue between the two cities that also informs the SS26 collection - a series of pieces that feel less like a departure and more like a refined, natural progression of YSSO’s sculptural world. “The starting point was a continuation of our interest in form, but approached in a more distilled way,” Alexia explained, her voice reflecting the “quiet confidence” she has imbued into the new designs. This season, the focus shifted towards a rigorous refinement of shape: making the gold more precise, yet somehow more fluid. The metal feels more assured, as if the brand has found its rhythm. It is the visual equivalent of a deep, calm breath - a collection that does not need to shout to command the room.
With the time for our next meetings approaching, I closed the conversation by asking Alexia what, above all else, excites her about the future of the brand. “What excites me most is the idea of building something with longevity,” she noted. “Not just in terms of the pieces themselves, but the brand as a whole - its identity, its relationships, its place within a wider cultural context. I am interested in depth rather than scale for its own sake. Continuing to develop the language of YSSO, while staying true to its origins, feels like the most important thing.”
As I stepped back out into the biting cold of Notting Hill, I found myself thinking about the beauty of the opposites I had just witnessed: Greek antiquity and London sensibility, heritage and modernity, meaning and permanence, restraint and intention, the sculptural and the soft, the lawyer and the creative. Perhaps, in the end, Heraclitus’ “hidden harmony” lives precisely there: in the silent coexistence of things that appear incompatible. YSSO does not need to shout to be heard. Its identity - suspended somewhere between an Athenian archaeological site and a London studio - remains clear, distinct, and timeless.