Georgios Melissinos established his “GEORGIOS MELISSINOS SANDAL WORKSHOP”, in 1920. In 1955 he was succeeded, by his son, Stavros (The Poet). When Stavros run the sandal business, he made a name from himself as “MELISSINOS – THE POET SANDAL MAKER OF ATHENS” and when he passed it onto his son Pantelis Melissinos (The Poet and Artist), in 2004, the business became known as “MELISSINOS ART – THE POET SANDAL MAKER TO THE STARS”.
THE FAMOUS “POET’S” SANDALS
Since 1920, the sandals made by the three successive Melissinos generations have been loved by Greeks & tourists and have been featured in magazines, newspapers and TV networks, throughout the world. Today, the famous sandal workshop of Pantelis Melissinos is a popular destination for Greeks, who want to keep their old values and cultural identity alive, and tourists along with European Royalty and international celebrities.
FAMOUS CLIENTELE
Sophia Loren, Jackie Onassis, Rudolf Nureyev, The Beatles, Melina Mercouri, Maria Callas, Barbra Streisand, Jeremy Irons, Kate Moss, Leonard Cohen, Queen Sophia of Spain, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lily Tomlin, Bob Saget, Dawn French, The family of the US president Joe Biden and countless others.
ANCIENT GREEK SANDALS IN THE MID ’50s
When the now famous poet, Stavros Melissinos handcrafted his first ancient Greek leather sandals he took the fashion world by storm. One of his first visitors was Sophia Loren who walked into his store, sometime in the mid 50s. Then the shop became very famous and when the Beatles visited him for sandals, his sandals became a sort of cult item.
AN ICONIC SANDAL ATELIER
Today the iconic sandal atelier is run by third generation sandal maker Pantelis Melissinos, near the Acropolis Museum and is hailed by journalists, writers and foreign visitors as an Athenian landmark.