ancient greek sandals x mary katrantzou: new collaboration

When it comes to innovative print design, there is no-one whom we regard in higher esteem than Mary Katrantzou. The famed London-based designer has for years forged the frontier in prints, with a wealth of inspiration from the humble postage stamp, to a box of crayons, to Disney’s Fantasia.

You can imagine our joy when she chose to celebrate Greece, and all its contributions to the world (medicine, astronomy, just to name a few) in her Spring Summer ’20 show. A veritable moment in fashion history, the show drew crowds including Queen Anne-Marie of Greece to watch models traverse our very own Temple of Poseidon. It is with great pride that we now launch the shoes we created for that very show, AGS X Mary Katrantzou.

The glittering, spectacular gowns and capes were teamed with our very own sandals, created in conjunction with Mary herself. To see them astride the Temple of Poseidon, in the location’s first such large event since its inception in 400BC was a truly awe-inspiring moment. Vogue Runway has called the show “a ceremonial offering to the health of the Greek nation,” as the collection celebrated all that Greece has brought the world throughout history, and all proceeds of ticket sales went to Elpida, the Athens-based charity providing sustainable homes and support to refugees.

We created forty (yes, forty) unique pairs of sandals to compliment each look. In true homage to the show’s location, classic gladiator styles were selected from our archives. Fitting, as they had initially been inspired by Ancient Greek frescoes, sculptures and architecture.

Our limited-edition capsule is now available online for the first time, and we invite you to discover it here. In keeping with Mary Katrantzou’s Resort ’20 map prints, our first release, the Alcyone, features the pastel silken map print twisting around the ankle and through soft leather straps. In a second colourway, we present the black and white - with undulating, Greek-Inspired gentle stripes.

The ankle tie can be worn in a myriad of ways, wrapping around low or snaking up the leg, we would love to see how you wear yours. If you share a picture, be sure to tag us on Instagram #AncientGreekSandals.