ATHENS, Greece - Melissa is not a newbie in the world of fashion. She was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She studied history and philosophy of science in London, and then she moved back to Greece so as to work for her family’s business in fashion retail. ‘Free Shop’, high-end fashion boutiques, are her family’s stores. Since 1973, ‘Free Shop’ boasts three stores, in Kolonaki neighborhood (downtown Athens), Psychiko (a northern suburb of Athens), and in Mykonos. For the last ten years, they have held a new store in Golden Hall (a high-end shopping mall) in Marousi, another northern suburb of Athens. “My parents were the first to create a ‘concept store’ that was selling clothes, books and music stuff in a sort of a hippie atmosphere. I was born in 1980, so I missed that hippie era, but I grew up in a business-oriented environment,” Melissa says about her background. But, what made ‘Free Shop’ stores unique was that her mother used to create her own clothing line; they had a space inside the store where they were producing the clothes. There she learned for the first time about design, creating and production of clothes. At the age of seventeen, she decided to rebel. She started to study the exact opposite of what her parents expected. She moved to London, and she spent three very creative and studious years while writing about art exhibitions for a Greek magazine. In 2000, she returned to Greece, and she started to work in her family’s stores. The rebellious days were over.
Free Shop, Kolonaki.
Free Shop, Golden Hall, Marousi.
Free Shop, Mykonos.
Free Shop, Psychiko.
“I started from scratch. Sales, buying, managing, merchandising were all my favorite things since they required traveling around the world in search of new, talented, fresh and creative designers,” she adds. Now, Melissa has become familiar with the philosophy of the Greek and international fashion industry. She uses her impeccable instinct to hearken the latest fashion trends, and the hottest details emerging every year at the leading international clothing shows so as to bring them to the Greek clientele. Melissa’s experience and her spirit of adventure led her to the decision of creating her own brand.
In 2010, Melissa and her brother, Alex decided to launch their own brand of clothes and combine his managerial talent with her creativity. Wildwood was launched in their parents’ Mykonos store. Her clothing brand met great success with international clients who were fond of the idea of buying something sophisticated and Greek. “I believe in easy to wear clothes that make us feel comfortable with our bodies. I do not plan to make any breakthrough in fashion, but to offer stylish clothes that highlight the personality of each woman,” Melissa says about Wildwood. Minimal but impressive clothes with elegant lines, perfect fabrics, and of course value for money. How does she manage to keep the high quality of her clothes? “It is somewhat inherent to me to have a good quality mania because I grew up with them. I manage to keep the high quality of clothes with a great dedication to detail and by making many tests on materials, applications, and patterns. This is the A and Ω of this work,” she adds to express the importance of detail and quality of the materials.
In 2011, Melissa designed her first sandal collection. In the beginning, it was her curiosity about the production process. Later, after she had done the first crush test at her family’s shop, ‘Isapera’ was born. ‘Isapera’ [isa pera] in Greek means going forward, straight ahead and beyond. Her daily contact with customers gave her the self-confidence she needed to take the risk and reinvent the traditional Greek sandal. ‘Isapera’ sandals combine the traditional Greek sandal with animal prints, metallic touches, and bright colors. Unlike ‘Wildwood,' in the case of ‘Isapera,' there were some obstacles that she had to overcome. Due to the economic crisis, most Greek leather production units had closed down. It was almost impossible to find Greek leather and in the needed quantities. So, they mainly import their leather from our neighboring Italy, but the manufacturers are Greek artisans and experts in the traditional Greek “tsarouhi,” the shoes which were worn by Greeks during the Greek Independence War against the Ottoman Empire during the 1800s. “We re-designed the Greek traditional sandals while supporting the Greek productivity, especially in such difficult times,” Melissa says. Melissa feels that she has a mission. She wants to spread the Greek aesthetic all around the world. For her, Greece is an inspiring place with so much light, and full of contrasts, modernity, and tradition. Here, raw and natural beauty still prevails. She feels very proud when she meets foreign women wearing her clothes and sandals, and that is what led her to the decision to try and export her brands. In 2013, she showcased ‘Isapera’ at D&A in New York, and she got great feedback. In such difficult social and economic times, being creative and productive is a great asset. Melissa is one of those people who has those skills and makes the most of them by promoting her motherland in the way she knows best. Going the Greek tradition one step further. ‘Isa Pera’.σ