koukoutsi began as a seed — a pit of a fruit, which is what the name means in Greek.
In 2005, from a small studio on Skoufa Street in central Athens, visual artist Niko Mainaris and Tasos Tzalazidis started printing drawings onto organic cotton. What started as graphic designs on t-shirts has grown into a full collection of garments, posters, and art prints. But the process has never changed: every piece begins as a pencil drawing, inspired by the art, architecture, mythology, and urban textures of Greece.
Niko Mainaris and Tasos Tzalazidis, Athens 2005. What started as two friends printing drawings onto t-shirts became a graphique store, a printing lab, and a twenty-year archive of original art.
The work of Niko Mainaris
Every koukoutsi design starts as a pencil drawing. Niko Mainaris trained as a visual artist and brings a fine-art sensibility to what might otherwise be simple garment graphics. His subjects span five series: mythological figures drawn from ancient Greek narratives, architectural icons, intimate portraits, typographic compositions, and objects from everyday Greek life.
The result is something closer to wearable art than fashion — each piece tells a specific story, references a specific place or figure, and rewards closer looking.
"We do not follow trends. We follow the line of the pencil."
Niko Mainaris
Slow Fashion
koukoutsi operates on a different clock. We produce in small batches, printed by hand in our own Athens workshop. There are no seasonal collections, no trend cycles, no fast-fashion economics. A design enters the collection when it is ready, and stays for as long as it has something to say.
This means you will never find a koukoutsi product in a clearance bin. It also means every piece you own was touched by human hands at every stage — from the original drawing, through screen printing, to the final quality check.
Organic Cotton
Every garment is cut from certified 100% organic cotton — heavy enough to feel substantial, soft enough to wear every day.
Certified Supply Chain
Our entire supply chain meets Fairwear standards. We know the people who make our fabrics, and they work in dignity.
Printed in Athens
Screen printing is done by hand in our own lab. Every piece passes through the same workshop where the designs are born.
Visit Us
81 Skoufa Street
10680 Athens, Greece
Mon, Wed, Sat — 10am–5pm
Tue, Thu, Fri — 10am–8:30pm
Sunday — Closed
+30.210.3614.060
[email protected]