Textiles From Cyprus, Dr Eleni Papademetriou

Textiles from Cyprus is a radiant exploration of the island’s rich textile traditions, where the Mediterranean sun bleaches vibrant silks, embroidered sashes, and woven skirts into a tapestry of local identity. Through 1970s fieldwork across Cypriot villages, Papademetriou documents the extraordinary palette and precision of Lefkara lace, Paphos fidkiotika motifs, Geroskipou silk weaves and more—each piece steeped in cultural ritual, dowry customs, seasonal festivity and regional nuance. The book captures both everyday garments and ceremonial cloth, offering evocative images and ethnographic insight that reveal how textiles serve as living archives of craft and community, even in the face of modern disruption.

Compact yet lush, the volume balances vibrant photographs with descriptive narrative, illuminating the harmony between colour, climate and tradition. Papademetriou’s account is rich in texture—she conveys the careful restraint of folk embroidery alongside architectural drapes of silk, recounting how each stitch, stripe or glass‑bead band marks origin, identity and social role. This is a deeply atmospheric homage to cloth that dresses festivals, marks passage and preserves the soul of Cyprus’s weaving heritage.

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About the Author
Dr Eleni Papademetriou, born in Karavas, Kyrenia, holds a PhD in Modern History and Folklore from the University of Thessaloniki. Her curatorial work at the Cyprus Folk Art Museum and Handicrafts Service underpins a career devoted to documenting and safeguarding Cypriot material culture . In Textiles from Cyprus, she brings scholarly discipline to field-based storytelling—tracing disappearing hand-weaving and lace-making traditions through first-hand interviews, seasonal wardrobe practices and the cultural rituals they adorn.

Publication date: 2008
Publisher: Entypois Entypois En Typois Publications
Pages: 71
ISBN: 978-9963654574