Panos Gotsis Remedied Luxury
“From operating rooms to runways, one visionary sutures the gap between identity and elegance with a physicians precision and a poet’s soul.”
Model Alessio Wilms, All Photography Courtesy of André Bakker
There is a rare breed of designers who (at first glance) you know without question are destined to permeate the parameters of time, region, ocean, city, country, and coastline. Their clothing is not merely constructed only to satisfy the basic needs of sheltering one’s skin from the elements of the planet. These pieces fall directly in line with the intrinsic human desire to feel integrated deeply with a collective consciousness. That consciousness is one of liberation, ease, and bracing this sometimes complicated existence with panache, some flair, and a healthy dare to stand out from the crowd. Such is exactly the case for the Berlin-based genius of fanciful craftsmanship, PANOS GOTSIS. Sometime between 2023 and 2024, his Instagram account surfaced, an instant follow preceded, and my world was a much better place because of it. As someone who is consistently inundated with clothing (from endless sifting through stores and over a decade of deciphering magazines), Gotsis’ creations sparked a particular interest due largely, to his sophisticated flamboyance and magnetic streamlined elegance. Since his first post, each subsequent affair was an absolute delight to the eye. There is a seamless blend of practical wearability, breathability, and thoughtfully patterned details juxtaposed with expert editorial storytelling and a dash of bejeweled splendor. His delicate embroidery on lightweight materials allows his clientele to be transported somewhere far away from the calamities of everyday clerical duties.
Beyond product, Panos’ personal story of a purposeful pivot is one we can all resonate with. What started as a steady career in medicine matriculated into an explosive creativity fueled with intention, a trained clinical eye for longevity, and a Grecian origin story: all conveniently nestled within the unmatched European hub of gritty, queer, rebellion that is Berlin. Now more than ever, it seems that the globe is stepping away from performance and into what inevitably exists from resting within one’s truest heart desires. Once authenticity rises to the forefront and theatrics fall away, we are left with a focus on brands of such internal and external pulchritude as PANOS GOTSIS. After digital messages were exchanged across continents (approximately 4,379 miles away), an essay was revealed which reignited the passion I’ve always held for discovering designers and reading their origin stories in the first place almost fifteen years ago. Panos’ label is not just another entity with which to provide apparel. It is a movement that I, and a handful of other devoted fans of sartorialism so desperately want to be apart of. His creations such as the FLAMMA SUIT, handwoven on traditional looms, embroidered, and crafted with FLAMMA Cotton is a piece to cherish for the rest of one’s days: to cycle in and out of the absurdities of life and to resurrect when a person needs to be both comfortable and luxurious. Ahead, we dive deep into a conversation rooted in honesty and unfurl his strategy for creating a renaissance of modern menswear.
What drew you to Berlin as a base for your creative practice?
I came to Berlin in 2009 after studying medicine in Thessaloniki, Greece, to pursue my medical career, and I’ve been here ever since. Medicine is my first great love, and I actually only entered the world of fashion in 2020. Before that, I was a full-time doctor, fully dedicated to my medical career. I’ve been in Berlin ever since, and I love life here. It has a lightness and ease that I deeply appreciate in a major city like Berlin. I love other big cities around the world as well, but the unpretentious, effortless spirit of Berlin is truly something special.
How has the city shaped your work—stylistically, politically, or emotionally?
Well, the city offers a sense of freedom and space that allows me to explore my ideas without fear of judgment. Politically, Berlin’s complex history and its role as a symbol of resistance, transformation, and diversity constantly inspires me to think about identity and representation. Stylistically, the city’s contrasts and its rawness next to elegance, tradition beside experimentation, mirror my own creative language. Berlin doesn't demand perfection; it invites honesty.
What does “home” mean to you creatively, and has that changed over time?
“Home,” to me, is less about a physical place and more about a state of feeling grounded and free. It’s where I allow myself to be vulnerable and experimental, where ideas can grow from a place of abundance and with deep respect for my needs. Home means being connected to my source, the inexhaustible source that gives me the strength and energy to live my projects fully, to embody them, and to stand behind them with my whole soul.
Is there a DNA, emotion, or memory that appears in your collections, even unintentionally?
Oh, absolutely. My collections are often infused, consciously or not, with fragments of memory, emotion, and inherited identity. There's a certain nostalgia that finds its way into the fabrics I choose, the silhouettes I shape, or even the way a garment moves. Sometimes it's a distant memory from my childhood, memories from the summers we always spent in Greece, a feeling tied to a place or person, or an emotion I carried during a specific chapter of my life. These elements aren’t always planned, but they surface naturally and are part of my creative DNA.
Your garments often carry sculptural weight—do you see them as armor, poetry, or both?
Neither, actually. I see them as tools, universal, multifunctional tools that are invited into the wardrobe and come into play to help tell the individual story of the wearer. I try to integrate facets that lend depth and complexity to that personal narrative. People often tell me that my creations have something poetic about them, and I love that, it speaks more to the poetry that lives in the eye of the beholder. I see it as my responsibility to create designs and use fabrics that carry a certain quality, one that allows these stories to be told in the best possible light. And I deeply value how each wearer tells their own story through my designs.
Model Alessio Wilms photographed by Andre Bakker
How do you respond to the current state of fashion’s relationship with identity politics and queerness?
I believe fashion is such a powerful medium for expressing identity, even before words can. Its current dialogue with identity politics and queerness feels both urgent and overdue. As someone who exists and creates at the intersection of multiple identities, I see fashion as a tool not only for self-expression but also for affirmation, resistance, and visibility. I don't place much importance on labels in order to be open; I value freedom, openness, inclusion, and a respectful coexistence much more. I'm interested in the person themselves, what they carry in their soul, and how they express it. I’m curious to understand. "Live and let live" is my motto, and that’s how I create my environment as well. There is so much still to be done to understand and honor the depth, history, and ongoing struggles of the queer community, but seriously, I see humanity as one big whole, and the queer community is our collective community. If people are mistreated, misjudged, their rights taken away from them, if they are excluded, marginalized, and treated differently based on specific criteria, then isn't that everyone’s problem? Fashion and art in general have certainly contributed to a certain degree to changing these circumstances, but there is still a great need for action. These issues go far beyond fashion, and as much as fashion, or the industry, can raise awareness and broaden perspectives, there is nonetheless a clear political responsibility to foster a sustainably respectful coexistence.
Do you see your work as a form of resistance—or refuge?
I’d say my work can be both, depending on how you look at it. It can be a form of resistance when it challenges norms, expectations, or stereotypes. And at the same time, it can offer refuge, a space for softness, for authenticity, for expression without judgment. I don’t create to conform; I create to connect, with myself, with others, with what feels true. If that connection offers strength or shelter to someone, then I’m deeply honored.
Has the political climate in Germany influenced the way you design or present your collections?
Not only the political climate in Germany, and not just the current political climate, has influenced the way I design. You see, menswear is still heavily shaped by stereotypes. Even within the fashion world, which appears more open compared to other fields, there are standards I don’t want to conform to and honestly can’t make sense of. What I aim to communicate through my work is that men have long outgrown the roles that were assigned to them over centuries. Long ago. And there’s no reason to cling to them. We, as humanity, have evolved. So isn’t it time that this evolution is also reflected in the way we dress?
What does a day in your studio look like?
A day in my studio is rarely the same, and that’s exactly what I love about it. I try to create a space where both discipline and intuition can coexist. It’s a workspace, yes, but also a sanctuary. So it really depends on the day, the season, my mood, and countless other factors.
Are there any non-fashion rituals or sources (music, architecture, literature) that consistently feed your process?
People and their stories. I’m deeply fascinated by them, and that’s what consistently inspires and drives my process. Across from my apartment in the heart of Berlin, there’s a café I love to sit at, whether for a coffee or sometimes an aperitivo. It’s a lively place, and it’s quite common to join others at already occupied tables if there’s a free seat. That’s something I find truly wonderful, because it allows you to meet all kinds of people and catch a glimpse of their personalities.I’ve had fantastic conversations and encounters this way, experiences that have also inspired me artistically.
How do you approach material selection—do you think about sustainability, or emotional resonance first?
For me, they go hand in hand. I need to understand the fabric, I need to feel it, and then I know what I want to do with it. I'm always searching for fabrics that tell a story, even if, in the eyes of most, the story is "already told." My mission is to bring these fabrics from the past into the present and make them timeless in the form of a timeless, elegant garment. In this way, sustainability is already integrated as a criterion, and emotional resonance is always at the forefront.
What excites you most about the next phase of your practice?
What excites me the most is seeing how the carefully chosen fabrics take on a new form. That’s always what thrills me the most and makes my heart race. Seeing the new cuts emerge, watching the collection take shape, it’s an incredibly exciting time, every single time. That’s when I truly feel in my element.
What have you had to unlearn to create from a place of truth?
What an insightful question. To create from a place of truth, you have to be fully at peace with your creative energy and your creative instincts, without seeking external validation. Embracing vulnerability, intuition, and the unpredictable nature of the creative process adds so much more than perfection. You see, as a person coming from a background in medicine, where structure, hierarchy, and precision reign, I learned the importance of letting go of the idea of perfection in the creative field.
If your current collection could speak, what would it say?
That is actually what I would like to hear from you. You see, I created this collection so it could speak to you, but what it says depends entirely on what you hear. What you take from it. How deeply you’re able to receive it, integrate it into your life, and how willing you are to communicate through it. That’s such an exciting part of my work and, in the end, the part that truly matters.
Man Behind the Brand PANOS GOTSIS photographed by André Bakker
Gotsis’ masterful assortments ignite the international laissez-faire explorer in all of us: importing and exporting carelessly in and out of Morocco, to Sydney, to South Africa, to Brazil, to Spain, to California, to Kyoto, and the South of France at last. His brilliantly embroidered scarves, André shirts, and long-sleeve shirts are all splendid editions to anyone's wardrobe: male, female, or in-between. Gotsis’ use of vibrant color waves is sure to cause whiplash in the streets in which they are debuted. New inventions such as his Belt Bag, crafted from Cypriot Lefkaritiko fabric and hand-embroidered are the stuff that sustainable dreams are made of. Of course, the use of a red lip smear on gorgeous model Alessio Wilms along with drop earrings are the crown jewels of his design strategy. They are an expert commentary on the mass destruction of toxic masculinity, and the reinserting of bold dandyism which blurs the lines of gender identity in its place. Simply put, it is my firm belief that the entire globe should be aware of Gotsi's unique avenue of style. From the height of buying executives at Saks to the mastheads of the world’s leading publications, PANOS GOTSIS's name deserves to be in those rooms while conversations of acquisitions are being held. No wonder the famed costume designer Molly from HBO’s “And Just Like That” tapped a creation for Season 3.
After careful analysis, one can presume that these garments will be prized possessions for anyone lucky enough to come into contact with the brand. For example: The Easy Jacket and The Suit (whether in charcoal or black or grey or navy, brown, or mushroom) done in French high-end lightweight wool and Japanese cotton lining are perfect personal uniforms. What is most exciting is his bipartisan creative nature: deeply rooted in grounded intention while simultaneously catering to a new genre of fearless men-style aficionados. An homage to a centuries-old tradition of fine tailoring and craftsmanship lies at the forefront of his practice, while imagery suggests a new generation of consumers: unafraid to blend dapper with diamonds. Every fabric he selects feels chosen with ceremonial care. His garments don’t just clothe the body — they anoint it. There is a ritual in every stitch. Rhythm in every hem. Where other designers seek to shock, Panos seduces. His approach to masculinity isn’t reactionary — it’s reimagined. Softer. Braver. More whole. Bravo to whom can be assumed as an emerging leader within the field of fashion! What Panos Gotsis has built isn’t just a label — it’s a world. One stitched in soul, dyed in defiance and worn by those who dare to be wholly, beautifully seen.