She started by designing handmade necklaces from cotton thread and today she creates impressive accessories such as scarves, headpieces, and bags, while the protagonist of this summer's collection is resort sandals, made from a special thread not found anywhere else in Greece: Dora Vintzilaiou is the designer behind the VinD.gr brand, and this is her story.
- 22/01/2025
- Text: NouPou.gr
- Photos: Maria Xanthopoulou
Quality. Uniqueness. Sustainability. Three words that fully characterize the 100% handmade creations of the Greek brand VinD.gr, behind which stands designer Dora Vintzilaiou. We meet at her workshop in Pallini. Although its walls are white, the space is colorful.
Purple, pink, green, blue, red, black are some of the colors of the materials and fabrics surrounding the sewing machines, scissors, and measuring tapes. A beautiful chaos of creation unfolds before me, making me want to learn more about the brand, as well as about Dora herself, who guides me through her world with the enthusiasm of a child.
An afternoon in Dora Vintzilaiou's workshop
I observe scarves, ribbons, bags, and all kinds of accessories to which the designer seems to attach importance. I learn that she loved fashion from a young age. She remembers herself designing clothes at her desk. She has worked in the creative department, and as a visual merchandiser in various stores such as Ralph Lauren, Carouzos, etc. "I loved styling anyone who shopped. I wanted to build their whole outfit for them. Essentially, to give them a fairy tale. Because I believe in that. When you create a window display or an outfit, you create a fairy tale, and the other person buys that. Not just the clothing."
The accessory as a hero piece of every outfit
Thus, from her experience, she realized that what women needed were unique accessories. "The accessory is what is most missing from the market. Something fresh, something with imagination, something different. It is the best gift you can give either to yourself or to a loved one," she tells me. It's something every woman will always look for, I add. Even if we often don't want to buy clothes because we mistakenly don't feel good about our bodies, the accessory will always be there to "complete" our glow and lift our mood.
That's why at VinD.gr you will find a rich range of handmade accessories, such as neck warmers (infinity scarves - one of the most popular products, as I learn - pashminas, tied necks, snood scarves), headpieces (headbands, headbands, scrunchies, scrunchy scarves, bows, clasps, turbans), bags (clutch, croissant, pyramid, and oversized), as well as bag charms, which can also be worn on jeans - chains are a big trend.
What makes them unique? The fact that they are special pieces you won't see "circulating" on the street. The fact that they are 100% handmade yet remain affordable and accessible. The fact that they are easy to wear but at the same time impressive, attracting attention and gazes. It's the unexpected but very successful color combinations that blend harmoniously, the quality selection of fabrics and materials: velvet, cotton, technical silk, sequins, lace, feathers, chains, and the playful motifs that make VinD.gr products so attractive. As Dora tells me, she first chooses the materials – quality is the number one criterion – and then combines them with colors. "I don't go for the mundane. If it has a black base, I won't add black again. I'll add terracotta, and it will be a surprise. I'll follow fashion, but not strictly. I'll build on it, but I'll give it my own aesthetic."
And finally, what makes these pieces "stick" with you and makes you want to make them your own is their literally unique print. Animal, jungle, paisley, floral are some of them. "The prints are exclusive to the brand. I either design them from scratch, or I modify the patterns I find with my own additions, which bear no resemblance to the original. I might see a tile, a porcelain, anything, and 'tweak' it. A print might have toucan parrots, but I'll add leopards," she explains. Then they are printed on carefully selected fabrics, and the result resembles a "work of art," a creation that doesn't just complement an outfit but elevates it.
However, because a good accessory must be accompanied by the right garment and vice versa, VinD.gr also has some exclusive, fashion-inspired, seasonal clothing collections. In the summer collections, one can find resort wear garments, such as impressive caftans, kimonos, shorts, and palazzo pants made from viscose linen. All are fine, chic, and comfy, while in the winter collections, other fabrics like lace and velvet, materials often seen recently in fashion shows, take center stage.
Handmade Crochet Sandals
Among the products, those that stood out - and I say "stood out" because the competition within this atelier is fierce - are the resort sandals, the limited edition handmade crochet sandals. "It took me a whole year to make them. I searched and found a craftsman who makes knives (specially designed metal that cuts the sole to produce this specific sole). There are very few left in Athens now. Then I bought skeins of recyclable cotton threads from abroad. It's a very special and delicate thread; it's not what's used for bags," the designer explains, detailing the process step-by-step.
There are four designs: loafers, criss-cross, closed-toe or with a strap, some decorated with fabric and others with charms - I loved them! - or tassels. I hold them in my hands and observe them. It's clear they've been crafted with attention to detail, from every knot to every stitch.
"When you make something yourself, you take care of it. From ensuring the seams are straight to the sole being comfortable. You keep a close eye on it. But it takes time and effort. There's no machine; the sandals are crocheted by women by hand for hours. That's what handmade means. It's not mass-produced. They are your 'children,' that you struggled to create, and luckily, others haven't copied them," Dora explains to me. Then I try them on. They are flexible, soft, very light, and hug the foot. "Customers say it's like walking on a cloud," she adds.
These unique sandals, which no one else in Greece makes and sells, are the protagonists of the summer collection that the brand will present at the Athens Fashion Trade Show this year from January 23 to 26. Alongside them, there will be resort wear made from sustainable materials and mainly pastel colors.
VinD.gr's first accessory is handmade necklaces
But how did this journey begin? The very beginning was handmade necklaces made from cotton thread. The first accessory Dora created long before she founded her business in 2013. "I started making necklaces at home. It was my hobby, my obsession. Everywhere you looked, you saw skeins. The whole bookshelf was filled with threads," she tells me. "I used to bring recyclable skeins from England, crochet them myself, and create whatever I had imagined. I started supplying them to stores, and they were very popular because people hadn't seen them anywhere else." Indeed, I haven't seen them before either. They are so unique, and no two are alike; they have a singular design.
Most are decorated with motifs: evil eyes, coins, tassels, pompoms, something that, as she explains, also depends on the wholesale customer. "I might collaborate with a store that is 100% sustainable, so they want the entire necklace to be sustainable. In that case, I won't use plexiglass motifs; I'll replace them with bone or wood." One thing is certain: no matter what it looks like, the final result "betrays" how much work and imagination went into it. "It can take me hours to make a necklace. But I want it to be 100% what I have in mind."
First participation in the Athens Fashion Trade Show with handmade necklaces
With these handmade necklaces - which resemble scarves, so artfully do they embrace the neck - she participated for the first time in the Athens Fashion Trade Show exhibition in 2017, which went very well. Then many others followed. In fact, at the second one, while she was organizing orders at her booth, a well-known Greek brand visited her and was enthusiastic about her work. They chose 20 necklace codes, and about 20 and 30 pieces of each! "I couldn't believe it. I went back and immediately started working. I had taken curtain rods, placed them on the beams of my bed, and hung the necklaces on them. There were so many, I had nowhere to put them. There weren't enough hours then; I worked day and night. But I managed it," she tells me with a satisfied smile for this and for everything that followed: a smile that is hard to hide and even harder to lose - no matter how many obstacles arise along the way, both planned and unplanned.
The difficult period of the pandemic and the "discovery" of VinD.gr masks
Even if these obstacles are called "Covid-19 Pandemic." "Then the lockdown happened. That was a complete disaster. We had just showcased the summer collection at the exhibition, placed orders, they were prepared in Turkey (note: they chose excellent quality and very expensive fabrics from there) and arrived at the atelier. At that time, we also had a collection of Pestemal towels, which were very popular. But suddenly everything closed down. I had a shop full of merchandise that no one wanted to buy. I don't blame them, where were they going to sell them? I was on the verge of depression." At that time, people started wearing masks - not just pharmacy ones, but those with a "flair." Then her son, Stefanos, had an idea: to take the beautiful fabrics of the Pestemal towels and turn them into masks. "I had three heart attacks. I told him that many others were making masks. He told me, 'What does it matter? No one is making Pestemal masks.'" Indeed, that's what happened. VinD.gr masks became a hit on the e-shop. Then matching scrunchies and all kinds of accessories followed. People needed a dose of beauty amidst the ugliness of the times. "The project went very well. I had to find external collaborators because we couldn't keep up with production."
A family affair
And so, a woman's passion evolved into VinD.gr, a Greek family business that respects its products and its people. "It's teamwork. There's a family behind it, my children and my husband. Apostolos, my husband, handles the financial-accounting part, Stefanos deals with marketing, while Danae and I look at the designs together. She tells me what her age group of 20 likes – e.g., the metallic pencil skirt was a huge hit with those ages – and she helps me with the entire creation, as she knows how to sew everything."
Inspiration and motivation for the future
As we talk, I wonder two things: what could be the greatest motivation for her to continue doing what she loves, and what is her inspiration? "Customers who shop from the e-shop call me to tell me how excellent, for example, this scarf is and what good work has been done. This is the greatest reward you can have. It's also a huge satisfaction when my wholesale customers tell me, 'I don't have to deal with you at all,' meaning that the products sell themselves. This honors us as a brand," she replies.
"My inspiration is every image, every conversation, and every contact. Memory can recall a combination that has been imprinted in my mind, but I may not know it. We are talking now, and I might see that I really like the purple you've combined with the sequin (referring to my coat and shoe) and that splash of lime that barely shows (referring to the sock peeking out of my shoe). Yes, you might leave, and in the end, I'll create a necklace with beige and lime threads. And I will, come and see it at the exhibition!" she tells me as she pulls the corresponding threads from the shelves and places them on the counter. And they wait there impatiently to "start the game."
So, that was VinD.gr. A unique company, just like Dora Vintzilaiou. If you happen to visit her workshop, you’ll see her with a pair of scissors and a tape measure in hand, dancing and creating to EDM music, because without music, she feels incomplete. "For me, the creative process is a challenge, and I love it," she tells me as I was leaving. A challenge that she apparently succeeded in.