In the district of Psiri, where many of the capital's artisans used to congregate, Mr. Kostas’ shop belongs to a bygone era. He was twenty-three when he took over his father's business and he still maintains the tradition of handmade shoemaking.
Each new design takes months to create and Mr. Kostas only produces ten to fifteen pairs of shoes per day. When he was asked to make all the performers’ shoes for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, even hand-painting on some of them, he did not know how he could possibly do it. But because he is passionate about his work and loves a challenge, he agreed.
Mr. Kostas continues to keep the tradition of his father’s legacy and hopes his sons will one day do the same.
In ancient Greece, the sandal transcended its place as simple footwear and became a symbol of fashion and fame, often identifying a person’s station in life. Shoemakers were held in high regard for their trade.
Thousands of years later, the finest shoes are still made by hand by skilled craftsmen one pair at a time. We take pride in our design work, but we give the credit to our shoemaker for creating lavish footwear that we know you will "wear well" again and again.
