STATHIS SAMANTAS

Stathis Samantas designs shoes the way an artist creates his art. He deals exclusively with the design and overall set-up of his collection, which gives it a recognizable style and personal character. Born in Athens, he studied product design in Athenian College of Arts and Design.
The predominant characteristics of the collection are clean austere lines and geometrical patterns which are further enhanced by intense coloring and usually combined with dual tomes or trichromes. Frequently the designs are characterized by pastel coloring and quieter lines in order to amplify design details. The high-end design shoes are handcrafted with luxury Italian leathers and are already celebrated for being comfortable and anatomical.

Inside each shoebox there is a story, written by the designer himself. His purpose is to explore the relationship women have with their shoes examining the psychological and erotic significance of these objects. Everything you read is based on true stories of women but also on the designer’s thoughts. Wanting to express his own attitude, he asks various women to tell him a story, an experience they had with a pair of shoes that is important to them. He adds his personal thoughts - interpretations for this experience, thus creating an open dialogue between himself and each woman individually since he will find the story written in the box. Always maintain the anonymity of the woman who has spoken about her experience. What interests Stathis Samantas is not a specific person. It is how an experience can highlight common points of expression in women unknown to each other, without knowing that the initial link is this experience with the object - shoe. We would rather say that it’s a dialogue between the designer and women and in dialogues there is a freedom of opinion which is always under discussion. Everything is written from the designer’s point-of-view as a man who doesn’t think that being in touch with our desire and ability to talk about it is negative. This is a celebration of the desire of human psyche, which is seeking what is missing