My mom – Eleni and I
My relationship with ERGANI started when I was born – maybe even before that. Of course, this applies to me as well as to my 4 siblings, since our mother always took us with her to the workshop. She would let me play and hang around the looms, let me make things and generally spend time there with her.
My oldest brother, Thomas in the old workshop (1999)
In 2011, we decided to move to a more busy pedestrian street of the island and since then (at the age of 9) I started to be an active member of the store team. It was very easy for me from the beginning to get used to talking and helping customers. At the same time, however, I helped in the production and, with the encouragement of my mother, I made things myself. So being in the workshop became my first “actual” job.
The stimuli I have received from my time in ERGANI also played a decisive role in my decision to study something related to art. My mother always let me express myself and be creative. My relationship with Maria and Anouk played an important role aswell, two women with whom we have been working for years now and whom I consider my mentors. So, making the desision at 14 years old to study interior architecture was easy for me, and it was my goal for the next 4 years, which I achieved.
At the opening day of the new ERGANI weaving workshop, October 2011
Although I have been in this worjshop all my life, I happened to work elsewhere for the last 3-4 summers. But I have a great love for ERGANI, whenever I am here I feel at home. Therefore, the offer to work at the workshop during summer of 2023 was gladly accepted by me. So, from this year, ERGANI is my main occupation during Christmas, Easter and summer. The rest of the year I study and live in Athens but I try to help remotely.
In a photo shoot I did for the woven dolls (2017)
Creation of the Autumn window display, October 2016
After doing this little retrospective – life story to give you an idea of who I am, now I can tell you exactly what I’m doing at ERGANI this year. One of my main roles is being a cashier and doing public relations. I really enjoy talking to people and the feedback we get over the years is always positive. Now, due to the subject I’m studying, I’ve taken it upon myself to make the workshop’s seasonal windows as well as the interior decoration. In fact, for two seasons now, I bring all my friends from university to the island and we make the workshop’s windows together, as a group project. I also help around the workshop, like sewing buttons, ironing, painting and generally everything needed to get the job done. I spend a lot of time here, there are many conversations with mom and Maria, my friends come and we sit together, I meet and talk to customers.
Group project, with my friends, creating a Christmas window display, November 2022
To sum up, ERGANI for me, plays the role of a shop, a workshop, a second home and at the same time a place for socializing and getting to know each other. I am very happy to be exclusively here this year.