I live in Germany, but was born in Moldova, a country full of creative people who do handcrafted work for their entire lives. This heritage of artisan craftsmanship shaped everything I create today.

Where It All Began

My need to create began at the age of 13 when I experimented on my mother's old clothes in hopes of making something new and interesting from them. My dreams were haunted by visions of what I could wear if only I had the money to buy all that I wanted. At that point, I hadn't realised that I could follow these dreams and could find a way to help women express their inner beauty through their look, clothes, and accessories.

The First Steps

I took my first steps toward my dream during my studies at college. It wasn't long before I began to feel impatient and anxious to begin the practical realisation of my dream. I was never one to sit patiently on a chair and easily accept a theory. Even though I loved to read and study, I was impatient to make my own mistakes and to discover and experience.

So, at 20, I opened my first little atelier. But it was a giant step and became the foundation for everything that I do now. After many ups and downs, I came to understand that creativity is just a small part of making a dream come true.

A New Chapter in Germany

After moving to Germany, I underwent the biggest changes in my life and my dreams came even closer to becoming a reality. That period was a combination of adventure and hard times. I was raising my son while also jumping into a totally new world of things I'd never seen before in my life.

Learning a new culture, a new language and meeting new people made me grow up quickly. But all these experiences helped strengthen my wish to realise my dream. And so, PHILINI, a company inspired by the naturalness and stories of women, was born.

The Meaning of PHILINI

I was told by a nice Greek couple, which I met at our boutique, that PHILINI is an old Greek name meaning "friendly" and "good taste"—and this perfectly captures the spirit of our today already family business. PHILINI slowly has grown into a bigger family, where the main working culture in company is based on the family, attitude, trust and transparency.  The values that make a healthy platform for the creative people that follow their passion and dreams..This warm atmosphere isn't just something we talk about; it's woven into every handmade bag we create.

Creating PHILINI Handmade Bags

I've had a lot of fun working with different women creatively, beginning with the models—who haven't usually modelled before, they are women that come from different professions or are students—to our beautiful artisans and product developers that do their work with passion and professionalism.

Each handmade leather bag carries this spirit of authenticity, craftsmanship, and the friendly, family atmosphere that defines PHILINI. It's nice to see that, no matter what changes occur in life, the passion for what one does not only survives but also develops.