Hints of eco-friendliness have finally made their way into Athens. A small sister and brother shop just a year old has struck on a simple but sustainable concept: instead of fabric, use recycled awning material and refashion it into trendy bags. 3 Quarters Designs are therefore always couture.  As the tags on their bags state, “We work with materials that are used or leftover and are dependent on what is available to us so we may never get the same colours and patterns again.”  The bags add durability and functionality to a busy person’s uniform.  Styles range from clutch to messenger.  Besides this, many styles are unisex.

Garifalia and her brother, Yiannis, both products of the Hellenic Diaspora, she from Rotterdam, he from London, decided to launch the business when they both found themselves back home in Athens.  The concept of up-cycling was something common place in the Netherlands so the idea of taking discarded awning tents, a staple of Greek apartment living, and recycling them into functional bags came second nature to them.  The business idea was fabulous, but the decision to launch the shop in Athens in the middle of the crisis?

“In the Netherlands we are so used to taking risks that we don’t even think about it,” she comments.  “You just go ahead with it because it’s the right thing to do. There will never exist the ideal circumstances to start a business so might as well just go ahead with it.” Crisis is a fact of life.

3 Quarters can be found a short jaunt from Heroes Square in Psiri on Agios Demetrios Street next to the Museum of Gastronomy.  Their online store showcases their latest designs www.3quarters.design.