A Note From The Designer (Irene Sioti)
In a nutshell, ĒSIOT ™ was one of the many ideas, which, without me being able to explain why, did not stay in the drawing board, but was realized immediately. It was as if the universe had conspired for it. I still remember lying in bed very late at night when I sent a message to a friend, who had nothing to do with the subject, to tell him what I had just come up with. I was listening to "fast car" when I wrote to him, not that it matters. He was the only one I knew who would be awake at that time. It was simply that this was the moment I thought of it, and this was the moment I felt the need to share it. Perhaps it’ s called enthusiasm or maybe spontaneity. The next day the excitement remained, so I shared it with a second friend. This friend had more to do with fashion. And this is where our story begins. I can say that ĒSIOT ™ is basically all my friends and family and that everyone was so helpful from the start, in order to make my evening whim a reality. There were no barriers or obstacles. Or rather there were plenty in 2014, but I did not see them as such and those who did see them as obstacles then, did not try to stop me. How thankful I am to them!
Today, some years later, there are times when I want to give everything up and become a traveler, but at the same time I want to work more and more with the same team, for the same product, for the same idea. To make a long story short… I am Irene and I am doing great!
And if you’re asking me how life is between Athens and Tinos, it is perfect, especially when the lockdown finds me in Tinos.
A Note From The Marketing Girl (Ioanna Sioti)
ĒSIOT ™ was born in Irene’ s mind in 2014, but this is a story that she tells best, and I like listening to it every time. Back then, I remember, I was working for a company, and I couldn’t wait to come home to help with the new project. I was fascinated from the very beginning by the idea, its implementation by friends and of course the sandals. And how could I not be…? After all, they were "my sister's children". So this is how the things went until about 2017, when I officially became a full-time member.
I should probably mention that my -until then- “rich background” in the field of fashion included: 1-2 lambada skirts, tie-dye leggings, a few bandanas and many swimsuits. The highlight of my career, of course, was "The Sourgela", an improvised fashion game that my sister and my cousins and I had set up as children.
What I’m trying to say is that for every choice that we make there is a story behind, short or long (ok, mine was short). The same goes for every collection and product at ĒSIOT ™. Behind them there is a place, a journey, memories, experiences, cousins and friends, notes, a song, a game, a smudge, etc. It does not matter what happens first, if they occur simultaneously or in a parallel universe. What matters is that, in the end, the Design, the Storytelling and the Guys who work within this small group of people, divided between Athens and Tinos, we are ONE, and we are “The ĒSIOT ™ Team”!
A Note From The Logistics Guru (Savvas Siotis)
It was 2014. I had just left the National Bank by voluntary retirement, even though I still felt useful and young for retirement. The plan was that from that point on I would work in the store of "mom Fratzeska", maintained by my wife since 1982 in Tinos. That's when Irene told me about an idea she had had, and it would be called ĒSIOT ™.
Despite my initial paternal, overprotective and employment hesitations, I did not try to stop her, not that it would have worked. And better this way, because ĒSIOT ™ became a reality, and I got a job again - a very pleasant one. I have never felt tiredness, boredom or any monotony in ĒSIOT ™.
My daughters and I are in constant collaboration, exchanging endless emails and phone calls daily. And somehow, even though they are in Athens most of the time, it is almost as if they are in Tinos. I'm glad to see them working together for ĒSIOT ™, first as sisters and then as partners. After all, that was my only advice: "Always love each other". Nothing can hold without love.
It is as though our family grew with ĒSIOT ™, we are very happy whenever we get to meet our customers, both retail and wholesale. We welcome them to Tinos and offer them Frantzeska’s tasteful Tinian appetizers along with raki and wine that I make and bottle myself. We thank you all and we promise you that we strive for the best! We always have something new to learn, and we will always offer it to you.
Dad Savvas.