The handmade design has a special place in my heart. Part of the reason is that I am not a person with handy skills at all and I found so fascinating to see how the creative process flows from the mind to the hand without the intervention of a third party (maybe only for the realisation). And I am especially into the handmade design when it is related to keepsakes or tokens (and also souvenirs).
This is how I came across Lila Ruby King. I bumped into her Feta Tote Bag somewhere on Instagram and I started following her. One day I visited Flaneur Shop in Athens where I met Yiannis who has become since then my ‘stories’ pusher (I am pretty sure no one has ever called you so Yiannis!). We had an engaging chat, I saw that he was selling Lila’s tokens and he suggested to meet her, describing her as a lovely human being. Just the time to go back to my flat and I had already sent her an email!
We met some days after and on her last email she told me ‘You will recognize me because I will have this Feta Toe bag’! That was a beautiful coincidence!
Anna aka Lila Ruby King is an Australian independent designer who moved to Athens more than 10 years ago. She uses her printmaking and painting skills (and studies) to create beautiful fabrics, apparel, accessories and paper goods. And her projects about Greece are so graceful! They are the perfect gift for friends and family but also something that you would love to have with you. What about her last poster TYRI?
Her creations are very exquisite and tasteful. Talking to her was very interesting as she is also so committed to sustainability and takes great care of the environmental impact of her art trying to keep her suppliers as local as possible.
Anna confessed that the last time she had been to Santorini was about 15 years ago and she promised to cover this lap soon and she came to visit me and my island last summer. We spent a few days together talking and eating (a lot!). It was a great opportunity for me to get to know her better.
Yiannis was right, Anna is a sweet person, very discreet and kind, open to talk and share. And this reflects her projects. She is also super professional. And I really wanted to collaborate with her. That is when I asked her if she was up to create something unique for Santorini and for One Quarter Greek, a precious gift for you, readers. I had seen her handmade map of Athens and I was in love with it! So I thought that a map of Santorini with her one-of-a-kind style would have been perfect for my blog! So here we are, you can now download this special map when you subscribe to my newsletter. Isn’t it wonderful?
And stay tuned as more projects are coming soon!
LILA RUBY KING
Website – Instagram – Shop
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©Nicoletta Barbata/One Quarter Greek
