Named fondly after the parents of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and eternal youth, Zeus+Dione was birthed from the romantic imaginations of longtime friends, Dimitra Kolotoura and Mareva Grabowski.

Inspired by their Grecian heritage and founded as an antidote to the country’s economic crisis, the duo began sketching sandal designs in the hope of reviving and redefining local craftsmanship and restoring Greece’s public image in 2012. And that, they have done! With this year seeing them also make their foray into eyewear via their ‘Archetypon’ collection, which took its sculptural design cues from Plato’s Theory of Forms

Having previously worked in public relations and banking respectively, these soul-sisters are as business-savvy as they come – growing their brand exponentially to much acclaim. And the best part is while marrying traditional techniques with contemporary design elements (we’re talking about elegant strappy sandals, delicate silk shirts, and artisanal needlework embroidery), the duo have championed the local craftspeople of their home nation in the process. 

Eager to get under the skin of these heritage heroes, we walked a day in Dimitra’s shoes…



“I wake up at 6:30, have a glass of warm water with lemon and I hit the gym for my one hour workout. It makes me feel more energised and gets ideas flowing. The head offices of Zeus+Dione are located in a very creative area, full of graffiti, small coffee shops and people selling their craft on the street.”



“I love the fact that the office is an old mansion and I often imagine the glorious times it must have been through. It is one of the rare buildings in the area with an internal patio with a mulberry tree. How symbolic is that?



“I’m always inspired by the colour of the sea and the stones, the sky and the little things I notice at the old houses around my office. At the moment we are working on our summer 2020 collection. The theme is inspired by sunlight and the shadows it creates through the ancient columns and through the clothes.”



The process of putting together a collection is equal parts exciting and stressful. To make the “dont’s” into “do’s” and the "can’t be done" into “we did it"... that gives me great pleasure!”



I do what I do because it’s part of my being - it’s my hobby that turned into a business. I don’t come from the fashion industry; I used to be a marketeer and I was running my own company. I realise now that nothing compares to the pleasure and the satisfaction I get from this job, even though it is the hardest of them all.”



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