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Athens shopping guide: Greek designers & memorabilia

By Benaki Museum Shop 
READING TIME
Tout le temps nécessaire pour boire un café grec
If you’re heading to Athens and plan to hit the streets for a little chic shopping, you can’t miss our guide to the most stylish jewellery, clothing, accessories, memorabilia and more from leading fashion icons and talented new Greek designers

Fashion has found its natural home in Athens in recent years, with Greek designers turning heads and dropping jaws around the world. Alongside much-loved and respected fashion brands, a new crop of talented Greek designers is creating collections that breathe new life into wardrobes, as well as jewellery and accessories that will remind you of Greece every time you look at them. They all have two things in common: They find inspiration in the culture (from ancient architecture to traditional craftsmanship) and natural beauty of their homeland and they’re driven by the dream of making the words ‘Made in Greece’ a fashion label in itself. 

So are you ready to find out who’s putting the chic in Greek?

Aesthet

Located right in the heart of Athens, Aesthet offers a curated selection of Greece's most coveted designer brands. You’ll find highlights from Greece’s leading fashion brands while other items are handpicked from talented up-and-coming Greek designers who don’t have their own stores or work out an atelier. Some of the names to look out for in Aesthet: Ancient Greek Sandals x Ilias LALAoUNIS, Ancient Kallos, Angelos Bratis, Antonia Karra, Cristina Beautiful Life, diGaia, Elena Makri, Evi Grintela, Greek Archaic Kori, Hermina Athens, Katerina Makriyianni, Kooreloo, Lito Fine Jewelry, Sophie Deloudi, Stefania Frangista, Stefania Vaidani, Themis Z, Valia Gabriel, Vassia Kostara, Yiorgos, Eleftheriades, Zeus+Dione and more.

 

  • What you’ll find: Clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, jewellery, beachwear
  • Prices: Clothes (€50 - €1,200), bags (€80 - €1,500), shoes (€100 - €300), jewellery (€40 - €2,000)
  • Where you’ll find it: 15 Valaoritou St (flagship store)
  • Website: Aesthet

Zeus & Dione  

A luxury fashion house whose style is rooted in Greek mythology and symbolism. Zeus & Dione is named after the goddess of love, beauty and eternal youth and its clothing and accessories are recognisable for their clean lines and geometry, with collections inspired by the motifs and patterns found in ancient architecture and artwork. It also aims to support craftsmanship in Greek villages and cities, such as the silk weavers of Soufli, the embroiderers of Metsovo and Argos and the silversmiths of Athens.

 

  • What you’ll find: Clothing, accessories (bags, belts, scarves etc), sunglasses, swimwear, jewellery, sandals
  • Prices: Clothing from €300 - €1,000 and accessories, swimwear, sunglasses, sandals from €100 - €600 
  • Where you’ll find it: 6 Voukourestiou St
  • Other sales points: Grande Bretagne Hotel
  • Website: Zeus and Dione

 

Callista Crafts   

Another brand tied to the ancient Greek word for beauty, kallos, Callista Crafts is all about attention to detail, timeless designs and respect for natural materials. Specialising in bags (tote, shoulder, crossbody, back, mini, clutch…), each item is handmade by skilled craftswomen in the brand’s Athens atelier. The collections are inspired by the beauty of Greece (the blues of the sea and sky, the white of rocks on islands and the orange of an Aegean sunset).

 

  • What you’ll find: Bags, ready-to-wear clothing, accessories (jewellery, purses, ceramics, gifts etc)
  • Prices: Bags from €300 - €1,500 & accessories from €80 - €300
  • Where you’ll find it: 11 Voukourestiou St (flagship store)
  • Other sales points: Attica department store (9 Panepistimiou St) & Aesthet 
  • Website: Callista Crafts 

Ancient Greek Sandals  

The name says it all when it comes to Ancient Greek Sandals, which doesn’t only seek to recreate the elegance and style of ancient footwear but the symbolism too. According to Greek mythology, gods and goddesses had their sandals made on Crete by a gifted sandal-maker who enriched each pair with magical powers. Today’s more earthly sandal-makers are looking to recreate that craft using traditional techniques, with tanned leather and designs inspired by myths, pottery, jewellery and sculpture. And judging by the array of Hollywood stars spotted wearing their goods (Rhianna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Naomi Watts, Angelina Jolie …), you’ll be following in impressive footsteps. Beyond footwear, the flagship store also stocks jewellery, ceramics, books, soaps and candles. 

 

  • Prices: €120 - €350
  • Where you’ll find it: 1 Kolokotroni St (flagship store)
  • Other sales points: Attica department store (Panepistimiou 9), Aesthet & The Greek Designers Store
  • Website: Ancient Greek Sandals

Ancient Kallos

Deriving its name from the ancient Greek word for beauty, this ‘resort wear collection’ draws its creativity from the colours, light and history of Greece. Highlights include flowing beach dresses and kaftans, as well as shirts, cover-ups and shorts made from natural fibres (mainly linen, cotton, lace and silk) with embroidery, patterns and motifs inspired by Greek destinations and mythology. All products are designed and manufactured exclusively in Greece.

  • What you’ll find: Clothing, accessories (bags, jewellery, ornaments, scarves, homeware) 
  • Price: €170- €500
  • Where you’ll find it: Eshop 
  • Website: Ancient Kallos

Ilias Lalaounis   

One of the founding Greek designers, Ilias Lalaounis honed his craft in the 1950s as Greece sought to find its feet after the Second World War, with a vision that was as clear as it was forward-looking. Reviving ancient techniques inspired by jewellery from the Bronze Age, antiquity and Byzantium, he used modern craftsmanship to create designs dripping in 18 and 22 karat gold worn by the likes of Jackie O, Elizabeth Taylor and Barbara Streisand and, more recently, Charlize Theron. So iconic is the jewellery that there is a Lalaounis Museum in Athens. 

 

  • Prices: From €200 (silver) and €700 (gold)
  • Where you’ll find it: 6 Panepistimiou St & Voukourestiou St (flagship store)
  • Other sales points: Aesthet & The Greek Designers Store
  • Website: Ilias Lalaounis

Zolotas

Established in 1895, Zolotas is an iconic brand in the history of Greek designers (and jewellery-makers in particular) that draws on ancient Greek craft and tradition for its creative zeal. It is a brand that has become part of Greece’s modern cultural identity, being responsible for now-legendary motifs such as the lions of Mycenae and the star of Vergina that feature on jewellery worn by fashionistas around the world. You’ll find timeless pieces made of 18kt and 22kt gold (yellow, pink, white and black) and precious stones inspired by the Minoan era, ancient Greece (especially the Doric order) and Byzantium.

 

  • Prices: From €200 (gold plated silver) and €700 (gold) 
  • Where you’ll find it: 10 Panepistimiou St (flagship store)
  • Website: Zolotas

Yiannis Sergakis

You’ll find the store of Yiannis Sergakis on the ground floor of a 1933 building in Kolonaki, one of the most stylish shopping districts of Athens. Word of the minimalism and finesse of its jewellery made from diamonds and gold has travelled the world, from Paris and New York to Tokyo and beyond. It’s a brand that gives diamonds an all-hours appeal, with inspiration drawn from life’s simple pleasures (a book, a stroll, a sweet night, a conversation with a friend). As the brand explains: “The challenge is how two eternal symbols, gold and diamonds, can create a design that best captures these emotions every time.”

 

  • Prices: From €200 (silver) and €300 (gold)
  • Where you’ll find it: 5 Valaoritou St (flagship store)
  • Other sales point: Aesthet, i-D Concept Stores
  • Website: Yiannis Sergakis

Pentheroudakis

Pentheroudakis has its roots in 1940s Athens when it opened a flagship store in prestigious Voukourestiou St. It aimed to satisfy the demand for new fashion styles amongst the city’s elite, which it achieved (and some!) through a commitment to timeless, minimal aesthetics. The inspiration found in the nature and culture of Greece is still evident in today’s collections, with design elements drawn from the architecture and artwork of Greek antiquity. 

 

  • Prices: From €180 (10K gold & gold-plated silver) and €750 (fine jewellery)
  • Where you’ll find it: 19 Voukourestiou St (flagship store)
  • Other sales point: Golden Hall (37a Kifisias Ave) - 1st floor
  • Website: Pentheroudakis

Savapile

Heading into a small alleyway in Psyrri, in downtown Athens, you’ll find a hidden millinery (hat workshop) that started out making handmade fisherman’s caps in the 1960s. More than half a century later, the family business is still fashioning hats using the finest wool and high-grade straw and impressing customers with modern designs that incorporate the immaculate stitching and finishing of a master hat-maker. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can get a hat custom-made (with ribbons and all the trimmings). The store has also expanded into bags. 

 

  • Prices: €70-€200
  • Where you’ll find it: 14 Agias Elousis St, Psyrri (basement level)

Benaki Museum Shop 

The Benaki Museum gift shop started life in 1977 as so many museum stores do, selling authentic replicas of museum artefacts. Over time, however, it added other pieces inspired by ancient and modern Greek design and craftsmanship and now works with talented artists and designers producing works of pottery, sculpture and jewellery as well as household ornaments and clothing. Looking for a present or art-inspired memorabilia from Greece to take home? You won’t be disappointed. 

 

  • Prices: From €15 - €300 (work antiques and collectables from €400)
  • Where you’ll find it: The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture (Corner of Koumpari St and Vasilissis Sofias Ave), The Ghika Gallery (3 Kriezotou St), The Benaki Museum / Pireos 138 (138 Pireos & Andronikou St)
  • Website: Benaki Museum Shop 

Cycladic Museum Shop 

Another museum with an excellent gift store is the Museum of Cycladic Art. Most items are inspired by antiquity, such as marble figurines and utensils that display the curves and minimalism of Cycladic art as well as works of pottery and silver utensils. But you’ll also find modern everyday items to decorate your home, as well as gadgets and jewellery made of gold, silver and gemstones with designs that were popular in antiquity.

 

  • Prices: from €20 - €100 (and more high-end from €200)
  • Where you’ll find it: 4 Neofitou Douka 
  • Website: Cycladic Museum Shop 

Thiki Greece

Named after the Greek word for ‘case’, Thiki became known for creating iPhone cases with themes inspired by the light and history of Greece. Today, you’ll find the brand has moved on to selling designer t-shirts, bags, pillowcases, washbags, mugs, stationery and much more, with designs and colours that will help you reminisce about your holiday in Greece. Quotes from Aristotle, Plato, Socrates and others provide an extra touch of inspiration.

 

  • Price: €3 - €40
  • Where you’ll find it: 120 Adrianou St, Plaka (flagship store)
  • Website: Thiki Greece

Greek Lines

Keep your eyes open for the Greek Lines range, which is a new entry into the world of fashion and memorabilia in Greece. With design elements inspired by classically Greek vistas and settings (a sunset melting into the Aegean, an Ionic column on an ancient temple, purple bougainvillea against a sugar-cube house in the Cyclades…), they have collaborations with brands such as Callista Crafts, Pennie and Marmarometry. Part of the proceeds of the initiative goes towards supporting Greek tourism. 

 

  • What you’ll find: Clothes, bags, jewellery, prints, beach towels, toys etc
  • Price: €30 - €250
  • Where you’ll find it: Callista Crafts, Pennie, Marmarometry and more (see website for further details)
  • Website: Greek Lines

Lovegreece 

“Made in Greece, Made with Love, Wear it With Pride,” says the brand, which focuses on alternative choices for memorabilia and clothing and comes with a ‘Lovegreece’ tag. The products promote what is referred to as Greek Chic in a cool and contemporary way, uniting people with a love for fashion & design and for Greece.

 

  • What you’ll find: Casual clothing, bags and accessories
  • Price: €20 - €130
  • Where you’ll find it: Eshop
  • Website: Lovegreece

Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation Museum Shop

A little gem you’re unlikely to uncover unless you know about it. Located in the City Link arcade in central Athens, this shop gathers items inspired by the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation’s network of thematic museums all around Greece. Imagine an olive-shaped silver pin inspired by the Museum of Industrial Olive Oil Production in Lesvos, a teardrop-shaped marble necklace by the Museum of Marble Crafts in Tinos, a cocoon-shaped necklace from the Silk Museum in Soufli (northeastern Greece) or a handheld fan inspired by the Mastic Museum of Chios. You won’t find these designs anywhere else in Athens. They’re not just beautiful, but have a wonderful story behind them and help preserve local craftsmanship. 

Piraeus Bank Museum

  • What you’ll find: Jewellery, memorabilia, toys etc
  • Where you’ll find it: City Link (6 Angelou Geronta Arcade, near Amerikis St)
  • Prices: from €5-€140
  • Website: Piraeus Bank Museum Shop

 

Theocharakis Foundation Art Shop

There are many reasons to visit the Theocharakis Foundation’s beautiful 1920s neoclassical building close to the Hellenic Parliament, including exhibitions, concerts and educational programs related to its mission to promote music & fine arts locally and internationally. As far as chic shopping in Athens is concerned, your reason for being here is the foundation’s Artshop. You’ll find it on the ground floor with a whole range of creative items inspired by Greek designers – yet another treasure trove for a memento or a gift for that special someone back home.

 

  • Prices: €1-€300 & more high-end items from €400
  • What you’ll find: Jewellery, decorative items such as porcelain and ceramics, stationery & accessories
  • Where you’ll find it: 9 Vasilissis Sophias Ave & 1 Merlin St 
  • Website: Theocharakis Foundation Art Shop

 

The Greek Designers Store

Fear not if you’re reading this at the airport and didn’t find the time to hunt down all those Greek fashion brands you intended to. The Greek Designers Store is located at the airport and specialises in high-end items from talented Greek designers with a story to tell. You won’t just find clothing and jewellery but Greek natural beauty products, too (another upcoming sector in Greece). If you want a head start with some of the designers featured: Stelios Koudounaris, Ioanna Kourbela, Madame Shoushou, Dante (for clothes); Konstantino, Pericles Kondylatos, Alexandra Tsoukala (for jewellery); Marina Raphael, Berthelotti, Ames (for bags); Aeolis, Laouta (for natural products); Sophia Enjoy Thinking (for memorabilia).

 

  • What you’ll find: Clothes, shoes, jewellery, accessories, natural products, decoration
  • Prices: Clothes €30 - €500, jewellery from €100 (silver) & €500 (gold), natural products €10 - €100, shoes €100 - €300 
  • Where you’ll find it: Athens International Airport
  • Website: The Greek Designers Store

Anamnesia 

Another store you’ll find at the airport is Anamnesia, from the Greek word for memory. The memories are of Greece, of course, but not always what you might be expecting. It could be a Greek salad (horiatiki), a Greek coffee, colourful bougainvillea or a little red mullet (barbounaki). Or just an elegant design that somehow triggers a recollection of your time on a Greek island. You’ll find clothing, jewellery, stationery, postcards, swimwear, bags or that special little something for your home or office that will take you straight back to Greece.

 

  • Prices: 1€ - 50€
  • Where you’ll find it: Athens International Airport (flagship store)
  • Website: Anamnesia

Welcome to the world of Greek designers in Athens

We hope you enjoyed discovering the world of Greek designers and are inspired to go shopping in Athens. Of course, there are plenty more options than the above. Just look for the words ‘Made in Greece’ and wear them with pride. 

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