Smooth Sailing in Fashion

10.May.2014

The stories conjured up by an the era when sails swelled up with the wind are being rediscovered, thanks an original upcycling idea by Salty Bag. A sailing seminar and a discussion one sweet winter evening in Corfu were the first steps towards the creation of one of the few upcycling companies in Greece to manufacturing bags from decommissioned sails. Within its first year of operation, Salty Bag managed to “save” over 5,000 square metres of cloth and be present at 20 shops, garnering many fans both in Greece and abroad along the way. We chat with the founders of the company, Designer Chryssa Chalikiopoulou, Marketing Director Spyros Daikos and Business Development Director Stratis Andreadis.

Where did you get the idea for Salty Bag? Spyros: The idea came from a chance meeting with Stratis on Corfu in January 2013. As representatives of the Yacht Club of Corfu, we had invited him to host a seminar on Match Racing and shared our idea of making bags from decommissioned sails with him. We discussed it for several hours and Salty Bag was born. The company is now celebrating its first anniversary.

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Does each bag have a story to tell? Chryssa: We say that we develop the stories, and we really mean it. We believe that the story a sail tells is an integral component of each bag and that’s why we offer the new owner a booklet describing the timeline of the sail – the adventures it went on, the places it travelled to and the nautical miles it accumulated.

What prompted you to create the Road to Rio’s Series? Stratis: Corporate Social Responsibility is a key component of the Salty Bag philosophy. In this context, the “Road to Rio’s Series” reflects our own small contribution to the tremendous effort expended by three Greek sailing teams en route to the staring line of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Sofia Bekatorou, Kostas Trigonis, Yiannis Mitakis, Pavlos Kagialis and Takis Mantis donated their sails with their amazing stories – tales from World Championships, with tears of joy and pride, and also tales of frustration and disappointment, stories drenched in salt, combined with strong will and perseverance. All profits from our “Road to Rio’s Series” will be donated to these three sailing teams. The “Road to Rio’s Series” and our other series are available at www.saltybag.com and at selected locations in Greece.

This is the first year for the Corfu Classic Yacht Race, a sister competition to the Spetses Classic Yacht Race, and you are the President of the Organising committee.What are your expectations for the race? Stratis: I’m very happy that what started as a bet between a small group of people in 2011 evolved into the first annual Spetses Classic Yacht Race. We prevailed and the competition is now an established event on the racing calendar in Greece and abroad. Given the exciting progress of the Alexandra, skippered by the President of the Yacht Club of Corfu and the Spyro (S.S. Daiko), which travelled from Corfu to compete in Spetses and won the Spirit of Chivalry – Chivas Honour Award and 3rd place in its category, talks began about hosting a race in Corfu. Our goal, with the assistance of Marina Koutarelli, who is also a member of the Organising Committee, the Yacht Club of Corfu and the support of the Yacht Club of Greece, is to create a feeder race for Spetses. This year, for the first time in approximately 20 years, we have also organised a group sail for classic yachts from Corfu to Spetses in Greek waters. We already have several international registrations and our aim is to create a competition that will attract even more participants, as it will feed the race on Spetses.

www.saltybag.com

Spetses Classic Yacht Race, 19-22 Ιουνίου, www.classicyachtrace.com

Corfu Classic Yacht Race, 12-14 Ιουνίου, www.ccyr.gr