Oct 02, 2024
a love story to a decade's old family business, and the original jelly shoe.
This summer, Ancient Greek Sandals celebrates their Mediterranean heritage and the co-founder, Nikolas Minoglou’s, storied family history with a modern take on the jelly, a much-loved classic beach shoe.
Two new styles for SS24 take inspiration from the archives - the original jelly styles they are modelled on were designed by Nikolas’ grandfather, Nikos Minoglou, and worn every summer by his grandmothers Iro and Elli.
A mainstay on the beaches along the Mediterranean coast, the practical jelly shoe has been around since the 1950s and for many, has never been out of fashion.
In 1957, Nikos founded the first jelly shoe factory in Athens, Greece. Producing sandals and rain boots made out of PVC under the brand name “Buffalo Plast”, Nikolas remembers both grandmothers wearing their preferred styles from the collection every summer. He kept hold of the moulds and some original pairs and Christina Martini, co-founder and designer, procured an original pair of Iros which she loved so much she looked at how they could recreate. The original Elli was rediscovered by an intern in a vintage shop in Athens. Christina recognised the pair as a Buffalo Plast archive piece and asked Nikolas whether he still had the mould. Both pairs have been reworked and renamed for 2024 as the Iro and the Elli, in honour of Nikolas’ grandparents.
The original Iro mould was designed in 1961 in France - Nikos commissioned the mould construction at “Jezequel” who were seen as the best in class at that time. Originally called “Design 12” or “Schedio 12” in Greek, the Iro is an exact replica of the original with new pops of colour added for SS24.
The original Elli mould was designed in 1976 in France by the mould maker Trussardi. Originally called “Design 21” or “Schedio 21” in Greek, they came in transparent, black, white and blue. This season Ancient Greek Sandals added in red to the original colour offering.
This summer the modern take on the original Iro has already sold over 1,500 pairs in its first month. However, this is nothing compared to the original styles which each sold around 40,000 pairs per year. The factory produced around 1 million a year at its peak, which were sold at beachside shops and mom and pop stores across Greece.
‘The jelly shoe is not a new phenomenon and has been a much-loved summer style both in Greece, and across the Mediterranean, since I was a small. We loved the idea of celebrating my grandfather’s story and honouring my two grandmothers, as well as introducing a whole new generation to a summer classic. Alongside the two archival styles, we have introduced a leather soled jelly flip flop and fisherman sandal to offer an elevated version of the jelly, suitable for both beach and city.’ Nikolas Minoglou, Co-founder, Ancient Greek Sandals