In the time of Greek crisis, the founders of Ancient Greek Sandals managed to give work to people domestically, and prove opportunities to succeed do exist in Greece.
“According to an Ancient Greek myth, the gods and goddesses had their sandals made on the beautiful island of Crete by a gifted sandal maker who enriched each pair with magical powers. Famous for having made the flying sandals for Hermes, the sandal maker also embellished them with his personal signature … a ‘golden wing’ buckle.”
Centuries later, it’s a golden wing buckle that embellishes the designs of Christina Martini and Nikolas Minoglou, the founders of footwear brand Ancient Greek Sandals.
Launched in 2011 and made in Greece, these sandals, infused with Ancient Greek historical references – including their names – are handmade by skilled, local Greek craftsmen using centuries-old techniques.
It took the new brand one season only to bewitch footwear lovers around the world, and only a few more months to introduce the brand to Australia.
The sandals first arrived in Australia in October 2011, through their first stockist, Love Story, in Perth. Though an official Ancient Greek Sandals store has not been established yet in Australia and with no immediate plans for one, stockists in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia – more than 10 of them – now keep AGS’ Australian customers content.
As long as she can remember, Athens born and raised Christina Martini was always fascinated by shoes. She would continuously draw Cinderella’s shoes and her favourite thing when dressing up was to wear her mother’s ’80s pumps around the house.
It was in London, where she studied fashion, that she discovered the specialised footwear design course at Cordwainers College. Given the success of Ancient Greek Sandals, it doesn’t seem random that this College has also shaped names such as Jimmy Choo and Rupert Sanderson.
Martini further developed her skills during the eight years she spent as a designer at Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga.
“Louis Vuitton was like a second school for me, I learned everything that has to do with the making of luxury shoes there. I was always at the factories in Italy working with the most skilled craftsmen in the world. Working closely with Marc Jacobs and Nicolas Ghesquiere, two of the most important designers of our time, was a dream come true,” she tells Neos Kosmos.
It was the mutual love of Martini and Minoglou for Ancient Greece and shoes, combined with the desire to create something new and different, that led them to co-found a company that recreates the timeless and yet historical art of ancient sandal making.
Now it is their own footwear that can be found on the shelves of high-end shops around the world.
“We met through a very good friend. Right from the start we realised that we had the same vision and decided to think about how we could make it happen,” says Martini.
“Nikolas is the perfect business partner. I totally trust his decisions and he is always supportive and enthusiastic with my designs. We share the same dream.”
The divine designs of the Ancient Gree Sandals are often inspired by mythology and the Ancient Greek gods. Even the names of the sandals are Ancient Greek – Medea, Nephele, Kariatida …
For a duo that grew up in Greece, familiar with Ancient Greek history and mythology, and with ruins and archaeological sites in their close proximity, there was not much research to be done.
“Most of the times the name is connected with the design. For example, the myth of Icarus inspired our best-seller winged sandal which is called ‘Ikaria’, or a braided sandal inspired by the hair of the Kariatis statues is called ‘Kariatida’. There is always a small story behind the names … Sometimes it’s fictional,” Martini explains.
Traditional, but luxurious and more elaborate footwear is what perfectly describes Ancient Greek Sandals. The sandals have a classic beauty, but are also embellished with new details and designs.
In Martini’s own words, it’s Ancient Greece but for the modern woman.
“I was always fond of the traditional Greek sandals and their raw construction which has existed for centuries. My idea was to keep the same techniques using high quality materials, recreating the designs. I’m often inspired by original sandals depicted on statues or frescos.”
The ideas for new designs come to Martini while flipping through archaeology books, from vases and sculptures seen in museums or simply from imagination. With the brand being influenced by Ancient Greek techniques and styles I wonder how hard it must be to keep changing and coming up with new ideas, while staying faithful to the Ancient Greek inspiration. But she reassures me – her inspiration is endless, she says.
“For the moment it is not hard at all. I still explore different fields of Ancient Greek art such as jewellery, pottery and sculpture. I find the inspiration unlimited. Our main construction is the flat sandal but we have started to experiment with other heel types such as the wooden platform and wedges. In addition the materials and colours are changing every season, always in line with our original concept.”
Just three years since Ancient Greek Sandals was founded, handcrafted by a small team in Athens, they can often be seen on Hollywood stars and high-style connoisseurs. The founders, as they modestly admit, were confident but never thought the brand will conquer the world so quickly.
“Although we were a bit nervous in the beginning, we both had high ambitions and total confidence. Of course, we didn’t expect it to take off so fast. Seeing the market’s reaction the first season we launched, we automatically knew we were on the right track,” Minoglou says.
What makes Ancient Greek sandals timelessly stylish is tradition and classic design. For its high achieving founders, it is their wish to establish themselves as a traditional sandal brand which women go back to whenever they want an easy, good quality, comfortable and desirable sandal. Sandals that will carry memories of many summers and not only one.
With the brand inspired by Ancient Greece and loved by style connoisseurs worldwide, it feels that it again breathes life into the historical art of ancient sandal making. Minoglou is adamant to focus on the impact it has on the Greece of today. With the country going through such turmoil, for the founders – success of the AGS is success for Greece.
“We do feel very honoured that our sandals carry the ‘made in Greece’ stamp and are being sold in high-end shops in more than 40 countries. We feel proud that we have been able to create and sell a product across the globe, which is not only made in Greece but is also connected to our roots.
“We definitely think that we are contributing to Greece’s recovery, both directly by giving work to people domestically, but mainly indirectly by sending a strong message to the world and the young people of Greece; a message that opportunities to succeed do exist and that the Greek economy is not dead as most of us think,” London born Minoglou says.
In the same spirit, after working in Italy and Paris for over 10 years, Christina Martini had the urge to move back to Greece.
“I was always thinking that it would be great to find a way to work from Greece but couldn’t figure out how it would be possible. With the Ancient Greek Sandals idea, I realised I could make my dream come true. I moved with my partner to his family farm in Corfu where he produces olive oil.
“My family’s quality of life in the countryside is wonderful, but every now and again I do feel the urge to travel and visit the big cities such as London, New York and Paris.”
To find out more about Ancient Greek Sandals and their Australian stockists, visit www.ancient-greek-sandals.com
source: Neos Kosmos
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 