3 Quarters is a small business located in downtown Athens. It fabricates bags and accessories of various sizes, made of old awnings of Athenian balconies. They are designed for the urban traveler.
Garyfalia and her brother John used to live in Europe. A few years ago, when in Greece for holidays, they decided that needed to follow a different career path. It would have to be something that combines manufacturing with an eco friendly mentality. At the same time, they wanted to focus on bringing out the athenian vibe.
As they wandered around in the city, they were surprised to find out that one material that often ends up in the trash, was the fabric of old awnings of the balconies of Athens. With many obstacles on their way and of course trial and error, they decided to create their own small business, 3 Quarters. Their business would focus on manufacturing bags and accessories by upcycling these awnings.
As Garyfalia and John explain, the awning of a tent is 100% polyester. A material that cannot be decomposed. That's where we come in. We try to reuse something that in any other case would end up in trash. We upcycle.
Garyfalia is in charge of a very difficult, but also creative procedure: the color combination. Every bag is a unique piece, since the combination of the colors is only used once. 3 Quarters doesn't just want to sell a very beautiful bag or a very unique backpack. It wants to create the mentality that the reuse of a product is the key to a better environment. Consuming less, is something that concerns all citizens.
John and Garyfalia are very well informed on environmental issues. In fact, John Pitsakis is one of the twelve judges in the 2020 European Social Innovation Competition, "Reimagine Fashion: Changing behaviours for sustainable fashion".
The People's Trust provided all the financial support in order to renovate their workspace, in the center of Athens. Their business is now a beautiful space that reflects both their love for the environment and for what they do.
Creator | Garyfalia Pitsaki, John Pitsakis |
Purpose of donation | Expansion & renovation of existing business |
Year | 2020 |