Christina Martini was born and raised in Greece. She studied fashion design in London and worked as a shoe designer for Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Iris srl. After ten years of living abroad, Christina decided to return to Greece in order to start a family and live in the island of Corfu.
Nikolas Minoglou was born in London and grew up in Greece. In 2006 he took over the family footwear business and four years later founded the online shoe store myshoe.gr, the leading online shoe retailer in Greece.
Christina and Nikolas met by accident and instantly clicked. They shared the same passion for shoes and soon created their own brand “Ancient Greek Sandals”. Christina started preparing the designs while Nikolas was responsible for the promotion.
Success came very quickly. Currently, the ancient sandals made in Greece are included in 300 sales points in 50 countries. They are being sold by the world’s most famous boutiques and selective online shops while some of their famous clients include Rihanna, Naomi Watts and Jessica Alba.
“We never expected such a success.” said the creators of the Ancient Greek Sandals in a recent interview with Greek newspaper Lifo.
They claim that their products are most successful in the U.S. market while the most “difficult” markets are those of Asia and especially China, which as a major economic power mostly prefers famous and more expensive brands.
The collection is inspired by ancient Greek Gods and myths, pottery, jewellery and sculpture. Ancient Greek Sandals are handmade locally by skilled craftsmen using traditional techniques.
The sandals were worn at the lighting of the Olympic Flame in Ancient Olympia, on September 27, 2013.
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