Heat Up your summer style with these unique handbags made with care by hand with vintage fabrics and special charms, collected from travels all over the world
Discovery
From when my mother first took me shopping in the seventies, when we relished the sundrenched streets of Athens after the sodden grey thoroughfares of London where we lived, I remember Bettina, a temple of elegant clothing and classic accessories.
L’ Été Indien bags are designed and hand crafted by Nicoleta Stravorizou, known as Leta. She has been selling her creations in Bettina, a famous Athenian boutique which belongs to her family, since 2012. Leta designs an exciting range of totes, beach and handbags as well as backpacks.
L’ Été Indien bags are designed and hand crafted by Nicoleta Stravorizou, known as Leta. She has been selling her creations in Bettina, a famous Athenian boutique which belongs to her family, since 2012. Leta designs an exciting range of totes, beach and handbags as well as backpacks
Each piece is completely unique and hand-made from imaginatively selected materials which reflect Leta’s personal aesthetic and spirit. She is inspired by Ancient Greek history, natural elements such as the sun and sea, but also the hidden charm contained in all travel objects from suitcases to touristic souvenirs.
Her favourite part of the production process is collecting vintage fabric, lusciously patterned silk scarves and special charms for her bags. Because each handbag is one of a kind, she finds that the most challenging task is in combining the different materials and textures together in order to create something that truly encapsulates L’ Été Indien spirit.
Memory
Vana Constantinides, Leta’s mother, established Bettina in 1960. The high-end boutique became a legend and changed the way Athenian women dressed. The store still manages to stay on trend without ignoring the timelessness of classic styles and offers a wide selection of designer labels.
Travelling, fashion and the arts have played an integral part in shaping Leta’s aesthetic. Her journey to the magic world of fashion started from a young age as she used to accompany her mother to fashion shows around the world. Studies in history of art in Glasgow and Paris followed, but her life changed dramatically in 1982 when she was introduced to the enthralling world of yoga and embarked on a spiritual voyage which led her to travel far and wide. She begun her foray into design with jewellery, and then in 2012 she started L’Été Indien as a creative escape.
Each piece is completely unique and hand-made from imaginatively selected materials, which reflect Leta’s personal aesthetic and spirit. She is inspired by ancient Greek history, natural elements, such as the sun and sea, but also the hidden charm contained in all travel objects from suitcases to touristic souvenirs
Narration
Leta’s base is in Athens but she feels that she could work anywhere as travelling provides her with ideas and fuels her dreams.
One of her sources of inspiration is India which she has been visiting on a regular basis over the last 10 years. The mysterious atmosphere of the country and especially the Northern state of Rajasthan, always intrigues her imagination.
Another favourite place is Mykonos. She loves the island for its meltemi, the strong dry wind that blows in the Aegean islands over the summer and its light coming from the island of Delos, “the brightest place on the planet” as she likes to call it.
Delos is a tiny Greek island and archaeological site in the Cyclades archipelago. According to ancient Greek mythology it was the birthplace of the God Apollo and the island operated as a major religious centre and port during the 1st millennium B.C. The island’s ruins encompass the iconic Terrace of the Lions, Doric temples, an amphitheatre and beautiful mosaics. Legend has it that you could never be born or die in Delos, it was a place for living, trading and the aesthetic spirit, the free spirit of L’ Été Indien.
