The Onassis Foundation will open Six Rings, a major new space dedicated to fashion and culture in central Athens, in December 2026.
The venue, located at 99 Patision Street, will operate as a two-storey house open to the public. It has been designed to encourage curiosity, discovery and learning through regular workshops and mentoring programmes.
Conceived as an alternative to conventional retail environments, Six Rings will combine contemporary fashion collections with works from the Onassis Collection, independent Athenian boutiques, site-specific art commissions and experimental digital culture.
The project extends the five-decade philanthropic legacy of the Onassis Foundation, which was established from the estate of the late Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. For the past sixteen years, the foundation has operated the Onassis Stegi cultural centre in Athens, uniting diverse creative communities under a single roof, a philosophy it is now applying directly to the fashion world.
A Cultural Approach to Fashion Retail
Six Rings aims to treat fashion as both an influential cultural force and an active commercial sector. The foundation described fashion as one of the most immediate expressions of contemporary culture, functioning as a collective and deeply personal vehicle for self-expression.
Afroditi Panagiotakou, the artistic director of the Onassis Foundation, said Athens is chosen by people who refuse to confine themselves to a single identity and who feel free to express their individuality. She noted that the city transcends conventional ideas of beauty and does not seek to compete with other European capitals because of its enduring capacity to surprise.
Panagiotakou added that Athens has been inhabited for thousands of years, meaning its true scale is measured by historical depth rather than physical area. In a neighbourhood where the Parthenon stands within view of street graffiti, where university students fill the streets and where multinational communities run small local businesses, Six Rings will propose its own interpretation of beauty through materials, emotions, scents and textures.
Stavros Karelis, the head of fashion at the Onassis Foundation, stated that one of his greatest ambitions is to build an environment where design, craftsmanship, creativity and business coexist. He said his career in experimental retail concepts inspired him to pursue a venue where audiences can explore fashion through new and unexpected formats.
Karelis added that, together with Panagiotakou, the foundation is establishing a retail model where fashion intersects with art and digital technology. He said the project aspires to foster an ongoing cultural dialogue that connects local Greek talent with international benchmarks and shapes broader aesthetic thinking.
International Labels and Local Collaborations
The retail programme at Six Rings will combine premier global fashion houses with Athenian independent shops and emerging design talent. The location will host the first dedicated Yohji Yamamoto shop-in-shop in Athens, carrying the Japanese designer's main line alongside the LIMI feu collection.
An adidas shop-in-shop will also open on the premises, showcasing the Y-3 label alongside prominent creative collaborations with Grace Wales Bonner, Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Simone Rocha, Willy Chavarria, Grace Ling and Song for the Mute. Six Rings will also become the first store in Greece to stock Our Legacy, Martine Rose and Matières Fécales, while featuring a curated archive of pieces from the Raf Simons label.
Visitors will find collections from Carhartt WIP, alongside fragrances from Maison Crivelli and Matière Première Parfums. Through a partnership with Athenian multi-brand retailer No3, the store will stock Stüssy as well as several Comme des Garçons lines, including PLAY Comme des Garçons, BLACK Comme des Garçons, CDG HOMME, CDG PARFUMS and CDG WALLET.
Independent Athenian businesses will operate dedicated shop-in-shops within the house, including art and design bookseller Hyper Hypo and botanical store Kopria. The French brand Pressure, which has Greek roots, will offer a custom merchandise line produced in direct collaboration with the Onassis Foundation.
Greek fashion designers will maintain a prominent presence throughout the building. The label IT'S A SHIRT will present its work, while designer Yiorgos Eleftheriades is partnering with the foundation to inaugurate DIALOGUES curated by Yiorgos Eleftheriades, a platform presenting the work of emerging Greek designers. International emerging talent will also be featured through special projects, including pieces by LVMH Prize finalist THEVXLLEY.
Architecture and the Stoa Matala Complex
Six Rings forms part of Stoa Matala, a historic arcade complex in central Athens that is currently undergoing comprehensive restoration by the Onassis Foundation. The building stands on Patision Avenue near the National Archaeological Museum, the Athens University of Economics and Business and the historic Athens Polytechnic campus, with sightlines extending toward the Acropolis.
The visual identity and neon exterior signage for Six Rings were created by British artist Tim Etchells. The neon installation connects visually with Etchells's previous works displayed on the Onassis Stegi building and at the Onassis Ready cultural facility.
The Six Rings logo references Aristotle Onassis's historic request to add a sixth ring to the Olympic rings emblem when establishing Olympic Airways. In this context, the symbol has been reinterpreted as an open, evolving circular form representing movement, exchange and creative possibility.
Greek architect and scenographer Loukas Bakas oversaw the executive architectural design of the interior. Bakas structured the space to resemble an open, lived-in contemporary residence rather than a commercial showroom, using concepts of construction and deconstruction to mirror the layered history of Athens from antiquity to the present day.
Hospitality, Soundscapes and Future Expansions
The Stoa Matala redevelopment will also introduce dining and hospitality adjacent to Six Rings. The team behind the acclaimed Athenian venue Wine is Fine will operate an all-day food and drink destination in the arcade, while the online station STEGI.RADIO will produce bespoke soundscapes to accompany visitors through the site.
Digital installations from Onassis ONX, the foundation's international platform for art and advanced technologies based in Athens and New York, will operate across the building. The venue will also host special commissions spanning dance, music, theatre and visual arts.
A second development phase scheduled for 2027 will see the Petridis Collection open on the floor directly above Six Rings. The facility will house the extensive record archive of internationally recognised radio producer Yannis Petridis, offering specialised listening booths and curated musical programmes.
Academic Residencies and Funding Model
Starting in 2027, the Onassis Foundation will collaborate with Central Saint Martins, part of University of the Arts London, on an international fashion residency programme. The initiative will bring fashion students to Athens under Onassis AiR, the foundation's residency programme that has hosted global artists, curators and writers for the past six years. Works produced by participating students during their residencies will go on display inside Six Rings.
The Six Rings initiative forms part of the commercial operations of the Onassis Foundation. In accordance with principles established by Aristotle Onassis linking business enterprise with public welfare, forty per cent of the annual profits generated by the Onassis Group are dedicated to funding the foundation's philanthropic work in culture, education and healthcare.
