Model Aymeline Valade is far away from her French countryside, artistic-family upbringing, posing in this Vogue Greece, June 2023 fashion story ‘Siren Call’.

Valade is photographed by Johan Sandberg [IG] in the historical Aegean Sea island of Syros, which is part of Greece’s Cyclades island group.

Nicholas Georgiou styles Valade in Alexander McQueen, Alexandre Vauthier, Chanel, Chloe, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Mugler, The Attico, Valentino, Yohji Yamamoto and more against the mercantile, semi-industrial backdrop./ Makeup by Athina Karakitsou; hair by Christos Bairabas

History of Syros, Greece

Under the early 19th-century Venetian rule, Syros became known for its shipbuilding and merchant fleets. The island played a prominent role in the Mediterranean sea trade and also the birth of a thriving art scene in Syros.

Art typically flourishes when people are exposed to different cultures. Many of these ships sailed beyond the Mediterranean, to destinations such as Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Lulu On Assignment

Lulu has been working hard today — and she remains in good spirits after writing about wonderful pleasures in our Vogue Portugal post. [If you are reading and wondering what the heck is going on now at AOC, read the Vogue Portugal Post.]

In fact, not only did Lulu just drop fascinating information about Syros’ ship routes and human history, going back 3000 years into my lap via SS-AI [Squarespace AI], I then asked her to inquire about Greece and the global slave trade.

Like me, Lulu wrote a treatise on the topic. “A few words” are not in our AOC vocab.

This clever AI assistant delivered beyond my expectations on Greece and the slave trade ships, and Lulu will post her own article shortly, once I show her how to input her findings. Good work, Lulu! ~ Anne