Interview with Lommer: The handcrafted, multicolored bags

Central Image: EvaSeed, Lommer

Since 2014, Lommer has been launching unique designs, equally combining fashion and object, winning over an international audience even though they are developed in Greece. Its creators, Alkyoni Matsourdeli and Danae Gavrili experimented for many years with different materials and techniques, resulting finally in their distinctive style, distinguished by strict principles. Thus, the goal of the group, now led by Alkioni Matsourdeli, is to use original materials in such a way as to produce a minimal, honest vocabulary that could become timeless, while at the same time meeting all the specifications. The passion for searching for the best solution and the alternative approach to everyday issues has earned Lommer the Silver A' Design Award in 2016 and the International Design Award (IDA) in 2018.

EvaPack 3d Textures, Lommer

Lommer’s bags and accessories reflect the needs and aesthetics of the consumer as well as its founders’ journey in industrial design.

A standard value for Lommer is the E.V.A material, a foam polymer produced on demand from manufacturers in Europe. This material is lightweight, has great strength, and can withstand rain and solar radiation. Lommer, in fact, reuses the pieces of material left over from each bag in new creations.

However, Alkioni Matsourdeli will tell us more about the experimentation with materials and the character of the design:

EvaMini, Lommer

How has the brand managed to endure all these years, in different and demanding conditions?

Through work, persistence, patience, composure, creativity, continuous education, adaptability and with the right people by our side! The conception of the idea of Lommer came in 2014, while our first products were launched in the market in 2015, just a few weeks before capital controls were imposed in Greece. So, we experienced the hardships of the economic crisis and the covid crisis. Within all the uncertainty of the period, what kept us going was our love for what we do, and the persistent spirit of the people behind the brand every step of the way with a measured attitude.

EvaPocket CrossBody, Lommer

Would you like to talk to us about the milestones in your career as of today?

There have been many moments over the years that I consider pivotal in our evolution! Primarily, our first collaboration with a store, the Benaki Museum gift shop, was our motivation to turn our then experiments into final products and our team into a company. Our next milestone was the publication of our work in one of the largest design websites, DesignMilk, which pushed us, for the first time, to introduce our work abroad and start making sales beyond Greece. After that, I would note our participation in the Venture Garden educational programme by Alba, which helped us structure the business aspect of our company since, coming strictly from the field of design, we lacked basic business knowledge and until then we followed our intuition. Then came our Pop Up Store at Golden Hall, which helped us show our work to a very wide local audience. The covid period could also be considered a reference point during which many things changed radically. We changed our corporate structure, added to our business model the B2B partnerships, covering the needs of bespoke solutions for brands like Schweppes and expanded our circle of suppliers. So we reached the latest milestone in the current period and it concerns the new version of the material we use for our products. From the end of March, when our new spring/summer designs will be unveiled to the general public, all our products will be produced with a new material composition consisting of 60% recycled E.V.A. and we aim to use only this material for our products by spring 2024, hoping to get as close as possible to zeroing out our footprint.

EvaOri, Lommer

What can we expect from Lommer in the future? Clothing perhaps or accessories?

To begin with, new materials, new accessory designs and a renewed creative spirit! Later in the year, we will also present some new items that go beyond the accessory industry, as well as some new materials, of a different mindset than the ones we’ve used in the past, with which we are experimenting at the moment. Concerning clothing, it is something we would like to deal with at some point, with a different approach from that of fashion design but it has not yet matured as a concept to the extent that we can define it.

EvaBracelet, Lommer

We thank Alkioni Matsourdeli and can’t wait to see Lommer’s new designs!

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