From an early age, Chrysa has always been attracted to refined and elegant objects and knew that she somehow wanted to translate this into a profession. Life though took her somewhere else and she spent her academic and professional years studying business management and working in marketing. She was born and raised in Greece and later moved to Brussels where she completed her MSc. in International Business Economics and Management. Today she has settled in Zurich, where she has been living for the past few years with her life partner.
Driven by a great love for fashion and design that lies above transient trends, as well as her appreciation of impeccable craftsmanship, Chrysa decided to introduce her eponymous handbag brand Chrysi Z. in 2019. Inspired by her own personal style, she wanted to create an eponymous collection of timeless luxurious pieces that will truly stand the test of time and become keepsakes with a life beyond a season that could be passed on as heirlooms.
Being fascinated with embroidery, embellishments and gemstones from an early age, in 2020 Chrysa decided to solely concentrate on the intricate one-of-a-kind hand-embroidered pieces of the brand, her so-called ‘Kentima’ Bags Collection – from the Greek word kentima (κέντημα), which means embroidery.
Chrysi Z. handbags are an alternative to ‘on-the-shelf’ ready-to-wear bags. Each piece is literally a one-of-a-kind piece, hand-embroidered, hand-embellished with gemstones.
The collection consists of two core bag shapes, the smaller ‘Lena’ – dedicated to Chrysa’s head embroiderer, her mother – and the larger ‘Dimi’ – dedicated to her brother and her life-partner, both named Dimitris.
All pieces are handcrafted at one of the oldest and finest leather-smith studios in the city of Athens, Greece.
Her bags’ signature style mix is that of classic top-handle structures, intricate refined aesthetics, with a dedication to timelessness, elegance and luxury that only an impeccably hand-crafted piece can showcase.
I consider all my creations to go beyond the product itself and be a reflection of who I am. My pieces are meant for those who share similar aesthetics like mine – refined, polished and distinct – and look for uniqueness and the luxe allure of exquisite craftsmanship. My wish is to make things of value for people that appreciate details. I strongly believe that what endures is craft.
XoXo, Chrysa
I hope that my creations will ultimately become companions in the stories of your lives.
Thank you for allowing me to share my dream with you!
Chrysi Z. Jewelry Collection
Being since forever fascinated by gemstones, she decided for the first time ever to start crafting statement jewellery pieces on her own in 2020. Chrysa had already started collecting gems from trips and other unique artisan findings and further enriches her collection by sourcing gems and precious metal materials from renowned suppliers. She designs and makes each piece of jewellery by hand using various methods of gold-filled wire wrapping and semi-precious gemstones, each hand-picked for its quality, radiance, colour and uniqueness.
Feeling extremely grateful for being able to freely express her creativity, Chrysa considers her jewellery line to be a natural extension of Chrysi Z. luxury handbags collection.
Chrysi Z. Bags – Concept & Design Process
Crafting a single Chrysi Z. handbag is a long organic process that takes around a month to complete. The collection does not stick rigidly to a preconceived design plan. Each piece is unique and varies in colour, leather and hand-embroidery. The research for the right materials, as well as the embroidery design patterns takes many months ahead of the actual crafting of the bags.
The colour palette and the leathers that will be used – sourced at the best Italian tanneries – are the first to be decided upon, separately for each piece. All bag pieces are works in progress for months. It all depends on Chrysa’s constant search for materials such as leathers, gemstones, fabrics and threads, as well as embroidery patterns.
Exquisite hand-embroidery and refined beadwork lies in the heart of the brand. They are all exclusively handcrafted in Chrysa’s native Thessaloniki, Greece. It may take up to 240 hours for a single pattern to be completed: this translates into hundreds of hand-stitches.
Head-embroiderer and beader is Chrysa’s highly-skilled mother Lena. Traditional techniques of hand-embroidery, such as cross stitch and petit point are used and materials such as golden, silver, linen and silk thread, fishing line. In the end, the hand-embroideries are adorned with gemstones, such as amethysts, tourmalines, jade, agate and freshwater pearls.
The embroidered panels are then transferred to our leather-smith studio in Athens, where our craftsmen set it in high-quality Italian leather. Our artisans work for around 20-24 hours with the hand-embroideries, Italian leather and Italian 24K gold-plated solid brass hardware to bring to life a single one-of-a-kind handbag.
Philosophy & Vision
Chrysi Z. handbags are elegant refined hyper-classic pieces of impeccable craftsmanship. What you hold in your hands is dense tapestries of intricate patterns of hundreds of hours of exquisite handwork.
Timelessness is at the core of the brand. Each one-of-a-kind handbag is a wearable heritage art piece, crafted not for just a season, but for a lifetime.
Chrysa refuses to follow trends in favour of a more refined timeless aesthetic. She did not want to create a brand that would chase the trends season after season, but rather a brand of a more solid identity, showcased by unique design and premium quality. The brand thus has a seasonless approach to design and production and a strong commitment to supporting local craft and sustainable production.
