WISH JULY 2022 19
messengersWinged Carli Phillips
JULY 2022 W HO STORY BY
The creators of Ancient Greek Sandals on taking their elevated classics to the world
Now the pair have a loyal customer base in Greece and an eye-catching Athens flagship, featuring a sunken floor tiled with glossy mosaics that resembles a shallow pool. Martini formally trained in footwear design and construction at Cordwainers at London College of Fashion and also worked at Balenciaga. She developed the Ancient Greek Sandals mainline collection with two very specific techniques: the upper straps are designed to tuck into the insole for minimal stitching and strength, and a small wedge is inserted between the insole and heel to lift the back section for added comfort. Martini and Minoglou work remotely and are based in Corfu and Athens respectively. While Martini heads up the creative side of the business, Minoglou, who has a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA in entrepreneurship, is the numbers guy. He isn’t, however, entirely new to the footwear industry. Following World War II, his grandfather produced the first rubber boots for farmers, later expanding the family business to include the wholesaling of a ordable sport shoes. But in 2005, when Minoglou returned from college in America, the business wasn’t in great shape: “There was a lot of Chinese competition and I was full of energy. I had an idea to create an online shop like Zappos, but in Greece.”
Clockwise from main: Ancient Greek Sandals’ elegant reworking of traditional footwear, all made in Greece; the new
“Sandals are connected to travel and warm places, and people weren’t experiencing either,” says Minoglou. “We normally do 90 per cent of our annual sales in summer, so it wasYetchallenging.”withborders opening up once again and people eager to holiday in the Mediterranean mid-year, 2022 is shaping up to be as good for business – or even better – as it was before the pandemic.
20 JULY 2022 WISH The vanishing of the summer holiday for more than two years had serious consequences for Nikolas Minoglou and Christina Martini. Co-founders of independent footwear brand Ancient Greek Sandals, they saw an immediate impact on their business when Covid-19 struck.
“They didn’t take the brand seriously and thought the sandals were overpriced, without considering the level of work and craftsmanship involved,” recalls Minoglou. Despite whatever criticism the sandals received the international market couldn’t get enough of them, and the brand was immediately snapped up by Net-a-Porter, Harvey Nichols and Matches Fashion. “Greeks appreciate things from abroad, so once we had international recognition the market here responded well,” Minoglou says.
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“It was a good match; we both value heritage and tradition and are drawn to creating pieces that feel somewhat old but are still relevant,” says Folk. “Both our businesses are aligned in that they speak to the modern woman who appreciates culture and loves to travel. Plus, we both share a love for the sun and a simple island life.”
The brand’s minimalist styles are the most successful commercially, but there’s a plethora of variations that speak to its philosophy of putting a contemporary spin on the traditional. There has been a number of collaborations over the years, including a partnership with Australian jeweller Lucy Folk, who adorned three classic styles with hand-worked metal embellishments inspired by powerful deities and Berber symbology.
“It’s disappointing, because all our sandals are made in Greece so we do contribute economically,” says Minoglou. “For a country that has gone through such crises, employment and manufacturing onshore is important.”
Minoglou and Martini met in 2007 when Martini was working as a footwear designer for Louis Vuitton in Paris. They connected over their love of Hellenic art and culture, and brainstormed what was to eventually become Ancient Greek Sandals. The concept involved elevating the rudimentary make of Greece’s tourist-market sandals and rethinking them using premium materials and superior manufacturing. While Minoglou and Martini’s versions were produced using high-quality leathers, the locals didn’t respond favourably, instead criticising the brand for capitalising on a shoe that had existed for centuries.
Simply surviving the past two years should be cause enough for celebration, but in lieu of the company’s 10th birthday, Ancient Greek Sandals is debuting two new categories: bags and, inspired by a year at home, homewares such as cappings for ouzo carafes and bread baskets. Like the sandals, items are made from the brand’s signature vachetta leather, which will patina naturally, each new scu or mark evidence of a summer well lived.
Greek mythology serves as an inspiration for the brand, whose shoes are adorned with small gold wing buckles in an ode to the messenger god Hermes, whose own winged pair of sandals enabled him to travel fast and freely. Minoglou and Martini trademarked the charm, not only for looks but to di erentiate themselves from a slew of imitators who have reached as far as Zara.
Using the existing logistics and software already at his disposal, he launched myshoe.gr, an online multi-brand platform selling accessible shoe brands. Now, Ancient Greek Sandals and myshoe.gr share warehousing. “It helped a lot as AGS was able to tap into the systems and manpower of myshoe when it needed to, especially in the first two years.”
22 JULY 2022 WISH Island escape, Antarctic adventures and a hotel refresh
The historic Portarlington Grand Hotel on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula has undergone a multi-million dollar transformation, with 18 new rooms and four dining options. Melbourne-based architects Techne Architecture + Interior design are behind the new look, completely restoring the 1888-era façade and grand staircase. Portarlington is 70 minutes from the city via ferry or just under two hours by car and is surrounded by wineries and great eateries. French cruising and exploring company Ponant has released the itineraries for its Antarctic sailings in 2023-2024. They includes one voyage that is focused on giving passengers a look at Emperor Penguins and another that follows in the footsteps of French explorer and polar scientist JeanBaptiste Charcot. There’s also a 20-day cruise exploring the Falklands, South Georgia and the Valdes Peninsula ,and another just in Antarctica that crosses the legendary Drake Passage.
The House at Lizard Island will this month open for guests after 25 years of approval processes, design and construction. The exclusive island on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef just 240km north of Cairns has more than 1000ha of National Park and its reef and surrounding waters are World Heritage sites. The House and neighbouring Cottage, which sleep up to eight combined, were designed by architect Robert Riddel in the 1980s and James Davidson of JDA Co. was brought on to design the final buildings and masterplan for the site. “The design concept was to not only touch the earth lightly but to recede into the landscape, hugging the slope of the hill so the physical presence of the house becomes hidden in the surroundings,” says Davidson.
EXCLUSIVE HIDEAWAY LIZARD ISLAND W HERE Milanda RoutMilanda Rout RAMSAYNIKOLEHASSEY;ELISE
HISTORIC GRAND HOTEL ICE ICE BABY PONANT CRUISING
REVIVAL PORTARLINGTON
A clash of ideologies is played out in the bruising environment of the school staffroom in Angela Betzien’s new black comedy Chalkface. The production, which has its world premiere at State Theatre Company South Australia in conjunction with Sydney Theatre Company, takes aim at the school environment, touching on privatisation, bureaucracy and the idea that you’re never too old to change – or to break the rules. Starring Catherine McClements (Tangle, Water Rats). From August 5-20, Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre. Seeing the light, confronting colonialism, and a Tennessee Williams classic
The uplifting Broadway musical Come From Away will have a limited season at HOTA on the Gold Coast. The Tony- and Olivier Award-winning musical is based on true events, when 38 planes and 6600 passengers were diverted to a small town in Newfoundland in the wake of the September 11 attacks, leading to extraordinary friendships. Until July 31, hota.com.au Frances Hibbard
24 JULY 2022 WISH
Daniel Boyd: Treasure Island, at the Art Gallery of NSW, is the artist’s first major exhibition at an Australian public institution in his celebrated 20-year career. It includes new works and one of Boyd’s first large-scale pieces, Untitled (BAT) 2020. Until January 2023. artgallery.nsw.gov.au
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PRODUCTIONSCROSSBORERBUSBY;JEFFBOYD;DANIEL©SYDNEYGALLERY,OXLEY9ROSLYNANDARTISTTHECOURTESYBULJAN,IVANSYDNEYIMAGE:COLLECTION,POLYESTERPRIVATEONGLUEARCHIVALANDCHARCOALOIL,2015(GB)UNTITLEDBOYDDANIEL
Acclaimed British light artist Bruce Munro brings his large-scale installations to an Australian museum for the first time with Bruce Munro: From Sunrise Road at Heide Museum of Modern Art. Munro, who credits Australia with fostering his rediscovery of light, found fame after designing the Snowball chandelier for Soho House’s first country house hotel, Babbington House, in Somerset. His Field of Light installations have since lit up landmark spaces, including Uluru, across the globe. Heide will stay open late on weekends for afterdark viewing. Until October 16. heide.com.au
The Glass Menagerie catapulted playwright Tennessee Williams to fame in the 1940s and in this production by the Black Swan State Theatre Company of Western Australia, director Clare Watson captures the heartbreak, pity and humour at the heart of Williams’s enduring and often painful selfportrait. Actor Mandy McElhinney (Love Child, Paper Giants) tackles the complex role of Amanda Wingfield, an embittered former Southern belle bound by both love and hate to her children. His Majesty’s Theatre, August 2-20. bsstc.com.au
Daniel Boyd’s challenging of the Eurocentric perspectives of so-called Australian history has seen him become one of our most important and celebrated contemporary artists. Boyd uses his idiosyncratic painting technique to force an examination of what many would prefer to overlook, tackling hidden histories and holding an uncomfortable lens up to colonialism.
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