After a gloomy and rather cool start to summer, I was more than ready to swap the streets of London for a long weekend in sunshine-soaked Greece! Our journey began with a 5:45AM flight from Gatwick (there’s nothing like the promise of dipping your toes in the Mediterranean Sea to get you motivated for a 3AM wake-up call) and included a short stay in Athens, followed by a long weekend on the island of Kythira. Over the course of our wonderful stay in Greece, I managed to find a handful of local boutiques and independent brands worth sharing!

The Greek Designers Store, Athens, Greece
Believe it or not, but one of the best stores I came across during my 5-day stay in Greece was The Greek Designers Store in the Athens Airport. All pieces sold in the shop are designed by Greek brands including footwear by Ancient Greek Sandals, jewellery by Alexandra Tsoukala, and kaftans by Devotion Twins. It’s the perfect place to stop and stock up on beach-ready accessories en route to the islands!

Free Shop, Athens, Greece
Free Shop is a Grecian take on the upscale multi-brand boutiques you’d come across in London carrying a mix of established yet trendy designers (think Trilogy in Marylebone or Anna in Primrose Hill). In addition to selling beautiful dresses by Self-Portrait and swimwear by Marysia, the founders of Free Shop design their own line of everyday essentials. Free Shop has numerous locations throughout Athens as well as Mykonos.

Mirina Tsantil, Athens, Greece
A few doors down from Free Shop, you’ll find a lovely womenswear boutique called Mirina Tsantili. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner who informed me that all of the pieces stocked in her store are created by independent designers, many of whom were born in Athens or the surrounding Greek islands. I was particularly fond of the handwoven straw bags and clutches on display!

Follow Your Art, Kythira, Greece
The main driver of my trip to Greece was a wedding on the beautiful island of Kythira (a 30 minute flight from Athens). Though most of my time was spent celebrating the married couple, I managed to squeeze in a few minutes of shopping at Follow Your Art, a local artisan shop situated along Kapsali beach. Imagine handcrafted ceramics, piles of fedoras, stunning jewellery and watercolor paintings of the Greek islands & surrounding landscape.