The Lainas Story

I do not believe that when my great grandfather began his own small shop in 1952 he would be creating not only a family legacy but a highly regarded sandal line as well. He had no thoughts of creating a brand that would be welcomed in countries like Japan and others across the world.

My great-grandfather, Antonis Papadopoulos, was a refuge from Thraki where his craft was shoe repair. He worked for some years in Athens prior to opening his own modest shop in the center of Athens at Plaka. This was located just a few hundred meters from the Acropolis where he and future generations would receive inspiration for his handcrafted Greek sandals.

As each subsequent generation took the lead of our boutique manufacturing, they added their own touch to the expansion and mission of the company. But some things never changed. The handmade Greek sandals are always made of the finest Greek and Italian leather. We have been more concerned with quality and design than becoming a huge corporation with hundreds of employees. We have always embraced the warmth of a company business. While now we have expanded to five employees that are not related to us, they still consider us family – as we do them!