What I can see

Koukoutsi is not just a clothing store. It is a place that is already part of the city’s commercial history and is rightfully considered “the temple of T-shirts”. Nikos Mainaris and Tasos Tzalazidis united architecture with casual and design with urban culture. At Koukoutsi, you can find the architecture and various representations of Athens on unisex, well-designed T-shirts, made of organic cotton, which have nothing in common with patterns of conventional tourist products. Koukoutsi belongs to the pioneering stores of its category, because it gave a boost to souvenirs, unburdening them of the generic limitations of folklore and turned them into a creative product, something that inspired other creators and artists later. Athens buildings, Athenian rooftops, slang phrases and mythical figures are some of the themes designed by Nikos, who is a graphic designer and creator of the designs. Koukoutsi is not limited to T-shirts, but also has sweatshirts, hoodies, jewelry, posters, street art collages and other items, all in a minimal style, mainly related to Athens and usually with a good sense of humor.

What I can't see

At the time Koukoutsi opened, there were only “stamp stores” and expensive clothing stores.  Even though it might sound absurd, it was difficult to find affordable T-shirts in post-Olympic Athens that were related to the city itself. ​​Koukoutsi (“seed” in Greek) successfully filled this gap. The name, after all, symbolizes the creator of life and is an indirect reference to creativity and innovation. The great success came a little later, during the       Greek economic crisis, with the T-shirt “Ich bin Ein Athener- Athens needs love”. Nikos Mainaris is also the creator of the “Mish Mash- Athenian Palimpsests” exhibition. By highlighting the contradictions of the Athenian landscape, he makes a visual comment on urban gentrification and the transformation of the city into a tourist park.

Info

• Address: 81 Skoufa St.
• Postal Code : 10680
• Contact Name: Nikos Mainaris, Tassos Tzalazidis
• Phone: +30 2103614060
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.koukoutsi.net/
• Opening hours:
  Sunday closed
  Monday 10:00am– 5:30pm
  Tuesday 10:00am– 8:30 pm
  Wednesday 10:00am– 5:30pm
  Thursday 10:00am– 8:30 pm
  Friday 10:00am– 8:30pm
  Saturday 10:00am– 5:00pm
  

Bibliography