ABOUT US
How was "elolathikes" born?
Manes, born in England with roots from Chios, moved to Athens in the mid-nineties. Anna, born in Constantinople, returned to Greece with her family in 1976. Manes, a professional photographer for nearly two decades, divides his time between Athens, London, and Chios. Chios is his retreat and his happy place. Anna, an office manager in a multinational company, had never visited Chios until she met Manes.
Her first trip to the island, to see the place Manes loved so much, was enough for her to fall in love with it too. The island’s medieval villages, secluded beaches, historic stone churches, and delicious cuisine relying so much on local ingredients deeply impressed her. The impressive castle in Chios town, reflecting the island’s turbulent history, resonated with her own family’s past in Constantinople. Inspired by their shared love for Chios, they created Elolathikes, a brand born from their dreams and aspirations.
The brand aims to introduce the world to the island they adore, inviting others to embrace the same warmth and charm they feel in their hearts.
Manes & Anna
Our Story
ECHOES OF HISTORY
Chios' Turbulent Past"
Apart from mastic, Chios boasts an incredible and heavy history. The Massacre of Chios in 1822 cost the lives of 42,000 Chians and put 52,000 souls into slavery.
On April 3, 1881, the deadliest earthquake in Greek history struck Chios with a magnitude of 7.3. At least 3,500 people were killed, the number of injured exceeded 7,000, and the homeless reached 25,000. The island, except for its northern part, was almost all destroyed.
Resilience in the Face of Adversity
Chios 'Earthquake Tragedy'
In 1965, many Chians emigrated to America, Canada, Australia and all parts of the glove in search of a better life. They almost always thrived and stood out, but they never forgot their roots, their island and their heritage.
The Chian associations are very strong, and their purpose is to help Chios; after all, it is no coincidence that Archbishop Elpidophoros of America in a speech mentioned that the Chian diaspora does not just love their island, they adore it, talk about Chios, and weep…
Embracing Heritage
From Diaspora to 'elolathikes'
“elolathikes” was born from the word “λωλάθηκες” which means “going crazy.”
Yes! That’s what we are! We are crazy about Chios!
We want the whole world to know our beloved island, we want everyone to love our “home”, to learn its history, to know its villages and beaches, to speak its dialect – to “taste” Chios with all the senses.
So this crazy obsession gave birth to “elolathikes”!
The original idea was to bring our beloved Chios closer to the diaspora and to those who miss it and love it so much.
How? By bringing Chios into their everyday life with clothing, bags, mugs, gifts, newsletters, photographs from local events, and much much more. We then thought that apart from the diaspora, there are so many other people who love Chios and so many more that it would be nice to learn about it, and so our embrace opened up for those who want to love us.
“elolathikes” is an online concept shop for those who love and miss our island!
Does your heart speak Chiotika?
