Photograph by Claudia Hershner
Models: PJ Layne, Emmy Edmondson, Jane Lewis
Hair and Makeup: Kelly Schroder
Eliana Batsakis made a name for herself in the fashion world as a competitor on season two of Netflix’s Next in Fashion. Her work’s been shown in Vogue and Vanity Fair and worn by Carly Rae Jepsen. And she’s a proud Cincy girl. Raised in a Greek family on the west side, she has embraced the city and set up shop here. She’s also contributed to the local arts scene through costume design and collaborations with the Cincinnati Ballet and Opera. In 2023, Batsakis cofounded The Ghostlight Stage Company with her sister Alyssa and theater artist Aiden Dalton and serves as the nonprofit theater company’s visual arts director. We sat down with Batsakis to talk about her career journey and why she’s proud to call Cincinnati home.
When did you start designing?
I honestly never thought I would be a fashion designer in any sense. I went to [School of the Art Institute of Chicago], and I originally went for industrial design. I started designing handbags in class, but I didn’t know how to sew, so I was just hot gluing everything together. And my teacher was like, “Your ideas are really good, but you can’t really pitch them further because the’’re glued together. You need to learn how to sew.” And luckily, my school was interdisciplinary, so you could take classes in other parts of the school. I just took an intro to fashion class and was able to learn how to sew through that. My teacher in that class was like, “Oh my gosh, you’re a fashion designer, you need to change.” And then I had an existential crisis and switched my major.
Photograph courtesy Sutton Bainbridge
How would you describe your design style?
I would say I honestly love evening wear, like gowns and corsetry and stuff. I love bright colors. And I would say my stuff leans avant-garde, where it’s a little bit more nontraditional, but it’s also still approachable. I think people see my designs and still want to be in them, but there is something special about them that you can’t just get off the rack.
How did your design style develop?
When I was in college, I was just making all kinds of crazy stuff. I didn’t really find evening wear and bridal inspired stuff until I graduated. In my thesis, I made a gown that I called the Sand Gown, and it had a corset base and it was tan. I got a really good reception from my classmates. I ended up winning a national award for my thesis and everyone kept talking about that dress. So then I kind of thought, Oh, there might be something there. It felt more approachable to other people, and people would want to put it on, versus my more sculptural stuff I was making. So then I just started really diving into that. that’s kind of how I found my voice as a designer.
What are your favorite pieces to design and construct?
With designing, you could draw anything, dream up anything. It gets to the point of, Can I make this stuff? And constructing, that’s hard. I love to draw. I would draw anything under the sun, but I would say [my favorite pieces to construct] would be the corsetry stuff. There’s kind of a weird misconception with corsetry that it has to be super tight and uncomfortable and snatched in, and that’s just not the case. It’s also a really amazing support undergarment that can go under these gowns that you don’t get the same type of lift and hold on these heavy fabrics when you’re just wearing a bra all under it. It’s going to slip down off you, whereas when you make it with a corset base, it just fits anyone so well.
Photograph by Claudia Hershner
Are there any pieces that you’d say are the favorite thing you’ve made?
I made this little white mini dress from my first collection I did out of college, when I just did it myself, with no help from teachers or anything like that. And it has been asked for many times. It was my first, like, celebrity placement—Carly Rae Jepsen wore it on her tour. People keep talking about it, keep asking for it, and I made it back in 2021. That one’s gotten me a lot of opportunities. It was also mentioned when I got cast on [Next in Fashion].
How did Carly Rae Jepsen find the dress?
It was her stylist. Usually with celebrities, their stylist finds your work, whether it’s on Instagram or online or something. I don’t know if they found me from the show, because that actually happened after I was on Netflix, but the stylist e-mailed and reached out to me and said it was for her. It’s funny, because you get these e-mails, and you never know if they’re spam or not, and you just go shipping a garment off, hoping it gets placed on someone.
What was it like breaking on to the fashion scene? How did that happen for you?
It was definitely [Next in Fashion]. I honestly still feel like I’m getting my footing. I won a CFDA Award, which is the Council of Fashion Designers of America, when I was a junior in college, and was recognized again for the CFDA Fashion Future Showcase as a senior. Through that, I got a platform online as a designer and casting directors found me. I again got this, like, sketchy e-mail that I thought was spam saying, “We’re looking for people for this show,” and they didn’t really give a lot of details, but wanted to interview me. I went ahead and did it and somehow I got onto the show. Afterwards, you know, everyone loves the local story. People were finding out who I was, or asking me to do custom garments, and it just took off from there.
What was your experience like on the show?
I honestly had a really great time. I loved all the people there. Everyone was super friendly. And I know that’s not always the case with reality TV. I can’t even watch it because I was 23 and right out of college. I was so confused about what I wanted to do with myself, and I just, I don’t think I had a lot of faith in myself at all. I was just bumbling around trying my best. And right before I went on the show, my grandpa, who I was very close with, passed suddenly. So, I was in this weird stage of grief where everything felt so big and crazy. I cried way more than I should’ve. I wish I could go back knowing what I know now and be a little more calm, a little more in myself and my artistic practice. But you know, it happened to me at that time for a bigger reason.
Would you say at this time you have equal passion for costume design as you do for more traditional fashion?
It’s all super intertwined. I design similarly in fashion as I do for costumes. For me, everything always starts with the story. Through my work with [The Ghostlight Stage Company], we threw a fashion show last year called “Cabaret on the Runway” where all of the designers got to pick a musical that they were inspired by, and we got to work with local musicians to write our own arrangements of the songs in the musical, and then all of our designs were inspired by that. I think all of these things work together all the time, and I’m equally passionate about both. It’s pretty much the same art form. It’’s just a different canvas, whether it’s on stage or in a film or on a runway.
Photograph by Claudia Hershner
How you get involved with the ballet and the opera?
The people that got me the opportunities for both of those actually went to [Taylor High School] with me. I did drama with one of them, but she was a senior when I was a freshman, and the other one was older than me, and just kind of knew my work, my name. They just suggested me—I hadn’t spoken with them in years. They’re like, “Oh, we have someone here that went to high school with you, and said your work is amazing and we agree. Would you want to work with us?”
How long have you been working with them?
I just finished my second production with the Cincinnati Ballet. They brought me on as the costume designer for their New Works series. I got to costume design for each of the premieres within the production. The opera was like more of a collaboration for their fund-raiser with Richter and Phillips. I made a couple custom garments, and we did this big photo shoot at Music Hall, and then they displayed the photos at Richter and Phillips for their Divas and Diamonds fundraiser. That was cool, again, just building community and raising money for the opera.
Are there any other organizations in town that you’ve worked with?
Through Ghostlight, we’ve done a lot of collaborating. We’re actually a part of Playhouse in the Park’s incubator series, so we hosted Cabaret the Runway at Playhouse, and they’ve been an amazing partner. We host a lot of our events there, like, rehearsals and things, because we get to use their space for free through that program. We also just worked with Caracole. We did a production for World AIDS Day on December 1.
What are some of the biggest celebrities and editorials you’ve designed for?
Carly Rae Jepsen was a big one for me. Publishing-wise, I would say the biggest thing is I’ve had my work in both Vanity Fair and Vogue for my bridal pieces, which has been really exciting. I didn’t design for her, but when I was on [Next in Fashion], Donatella Versace said my work was cool so I’m bringing that one to the grave.
Why is it important to you to be designing in your hometown?
Cincinnati has such an amazing community of artists. Just being a part of that is really important to me, and also I’m such a family person and my entire village of people is here. I don’t think I could function properly without being like, Oh my gosh, I’m stressed out. I need to go to my grandma’’s house for dinner. When I graduated, when I said I wasn’t moving to New York and I was moving to Cincinnati. I can’t even tell you how many of my teachers and classmates were so confused. They were like, “Why? You’re a good designer. Why would you move home? Go to New York.” It upset me, because you know, you can have a voice from anywhere. If you think I’m talented and I have something to say, why can’t I do it in a different city and contribute to that community? Why do I have to be in these big cities to make an impact? If anything, I think more talented people shouldn’t feel so pressured to go there.
Facebook Comments