How did you get started with your company ? What led up to its inception ?
We met 18 years ago, in an agency for architecture and design where we both worked. We searched for a long time for a bag that Dimitrios could use for our numerous trips, but we simply couldn’t find anything that met our requirements in terms of aesthetics and quality. That was when TSATSAS was born – even though we didn’t realize it at the time. We spent countless nights and weekends fine-tuning the design and Dimitrios’ father, a high-end handbag-maker, crafted the bag in his leather workshop. In the end we came up with LUCID, the model we still produce today. After years of preparation, we launched TSATSAS in 2012 with a collection of five bags.
Where do you find your inspiration? And how has this changed over time since you began to design ?
Inspiration can be found anywhere. Often there are individual aspects that impact our thinking and provide the initial idea for a product: A detail of a facade, the fall of the folds of a piece of textile, a line from a song. This has not change much over time since our entire thinking stems from our personal backgrounds to a large degree – I (Esther) am an architect, while Dimitrios is a product designer – and it therefore isn’t confined to individual creative fields. All of these fields come together in our products. We are also influenced by the people, works and objects we encounter every day, that surround and impress us, all of which challenge us to engage with them through their presence.
Where did you learn your craft?
Dimitrios: I spent a large part of my childhood and youth in my father’s leather workshop. He has been running his own workshop as a maker of fine bags in Offenbach/Main for more than 40 years now. It was there where I learnt early on what it actually means to commit to quality, how important it is to pay attention to the tiniest details when creating leather goods, and the crucial impact the quality of materials has on the final product.
What is your hope for the future of the fashion business in general ?
We hope that the entire industry will slow down and focus on its responsibility towards the human being and our planet with its dwindling resources.
What is your main source of calm/distraction during these uncertain times ?
Walking. Since we first met we enjoy long walks - in the woods, in the city, wherever we are. It helps us to re-sort and to focus on the relevant things in life.
