Greece | Explore Travel Series

We shot paddling out under the ancient Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion before later hiking to the ruins themselves.

The site is historically significant to the Attica region as a point of return and sendoff for heroes mentioned in the Iliad and Odessy. Suspended between the sky and the sparkling Aegean we made the most of this truly mythical backdrop, to wrap the lure of travel into an active, adventure lifestyle set.

I love that Branwyn has the Busty Bra and additionally wanted to shoot the sport bra styles on a filled out silhouette. These pieces are so incredibly versatile to body type making Branwyn an incredibly unique “fits all” brand. I looked for a curvy model whose natural shape is relatable to so many women yet vastly under-represented in fashion and fitness imagery.

As we shot, a few transition images that happened naturally jumped out to me as reminiscent of a figure holding spear and shield, a common greek warrior motif but in this instance it brought to my mind the greek legend of the Amazon tribe that has captured the world’s imagination for centuries.

We experimented more in this set than in any previous with mix and match options which turned out to be some of my favorites. I’d love to hear some feedback and do more of this. It shot very well.

We hiked up to the ruins, following a steep path through the brush and up the cape. Here, as per our recent conversations, we shot some pieces as tops in an outfit rather than as swim or underwear. To reinforce in the imagery, a more expanded use. I would really like to get my hands on some Branwyn leggings or shorts for the future sets but as an alternative as we discussed, I am also keeping an eye out for some simple black leggings where the logo or style is not evident or can be removed.

On the ruins Lord Byron deeply engraved his name, back when defacing ancient structures with personal graffiti was not frowned upon. He mentions the ruins at Sounion in a poem, inspired by his time in greece where he ruminates on the Greek empire, the shadow of its glorious past looming large over its fallen present.

To me the ruins and all ruins like them, that have withstood the test of time only to whisper unintelligible mysteries to the future, bring to mind the power of ideas; The way that a “hero culture” can inspire exceptionalism. The way that a small Athenian town in one corner of the world could take a sort of local pride in its value of ideas, like democracy or concepts of philosophy and the ripple effects could be felt, still present and influential, in our current reality. The way that myth is often the needed motivation for achievement and can in turn become a reality. One can’t help but wonder what those who come after will see in our ruins and how our choices are already effecting them.