Insiders meets the fashion dynamo Anya Yiapanis, founder of influential creative agency Intrepid
The best things come in small packages – that’s a mantra that Anya Yiapanis took to heart when forming the roster of her super selective and influential creative agency, Intrepid. The talent on her books comprises of no less than four fashion directors (AnOther’s Katie Shillingford, Dazed’s Robbie Spencer, Acne Paper’s Mattias Karlsson and her brother Panos, following his recent appointment as contributing fashion director at large for Love magazine) and the super stylists Katy England and Olivier Rizzo who styled Cate Blanchett for the current edition of AnOther. “That was definitely intentional, it’s not by chance” she insists, “Everyone in our agency complements each other and adds value to the other person. It’s consistent.”
Yiapanis was always this particular. Going to international school in Athens, her enthusiasm for clothes meant weekends spent shopping at her favourite brand Benetton – an interest which she maintains to this day, taking advantage of her brother’s extensive archive whilst an avid collector of fashion herself. Moving to London to get an MBA in the late 90’s, her first start in fashion was assisting the legendary Beverley Streeter of the Streeters management agency for 2 years, working with high-end artists like Karl Templer and Edward Enninful. She recalls, “Beverley was someone amazing to learn from – it was like a school. It’s quite intuitive sometimes and it all made sense to me. I just got it.” She got a taste for running her own agency when she teamed up with Corinne Day’s agent for a year before forming Intrepid 11 year ago with her brother as her first client. While others may find the prospect of working with a sibling daunting, she takes it all in her stride. “You have to talk a lot and communicate but I can’t see any negatives, only positives. He’s very supportive of the agency and everybody else. It’s important for me because I have a real insight into a creative person’s mind.”
“There’s always something - it’s never smooth sailing. It’s very demanding and there are a lot of people pulling you in different directions."
Supporting and navigating her artists through the ‘logistical nightmares’ of editorials, campaigns and runway shows each season can prove a constant test of patience: “There’s always something - it’s never smooth sailing. It’s very demanding and there are a lot of people pulling you in different directions. Every minute of the day you’re doing a different job. It can take away from the creative process but it’s worth it at the end of the day when the actual magazine lands on your desk and you can see the editorial and advertising work or when you are at a runway show.” Given that fashion can often be an all-consuming job, she’s also learnt the importance of boundaries. “I’m finding it counterproductive – this constant stream of communication. I don’t remember this hysteria in the past. Things can usually wait till the next day.” This measured approach extends to her plans for expansion which she is typically taking it slowly, with initial plans to open a branch in New York and expand the photography division which at presents comprises Ben Toms and the multidisciplinary artist, Matthew Stone. And it’s this calm level-headedness that has stood her in good stead in the sometimes flighty world of fashion: “I wouldn’t call it family but it’s an extension of who I am. I can see myself through it in different ways.”
Text by Kin Woo
