How it Started

It was only supposed to be a Secret Santa gift.

One snowy December, I made a bag as a surprise. It wasn't meant to become a brand, a business, or the beginning of something bigger. It was simply something I wanted to try.

But when I finished it, something shifted.

What started as one handmade gift turned into late nights sketching, testing patterns, learning from mistakes, and imagining what it could become.

For years, becoming a fashion designer had been a childhood dream—one of those ideas you quietly carry with you but never quite believe is possible.

Eventually, I asked myself one simple question:

If not now, when?

So I left my job and stepped into the unknown.

No guarantees. No big team. No perfect plan.

Just a willingness to build something meaningful, one bag at a time.

It didn't take long for those plans to change.

Just three weeks after leaving my job, my sewing machine broke. What felt like a setback became the turning point that led me to leathercraft.

I fell in love with the process—the craftsmanship, the materials, and the challenge of creating something built to last. It meant learning entirely new skills, investing in new tools, and starting over in many ways, but it also felt like I had finally found what Liakos was meant to be.

Six months into that journey, I was still waiting for the perfect leather to arrive. Rather than sit still, I started sketching a bag that wasn't even meant to be part of my first collection.

I've always loved the clean lines and timeless proportions of an east-west silhouette.

Nine prototypes later, the Arc 26 was born.

Crafted from premium Italian leather, the Arc 26 is designed to age beautifully, developing a character that's uniquely yours with every journey it takes.

Every Liakos bag is made in small batches with an emphasis on thoughtful design, quality materials, and craftsmanship.

This isn't just the beginning of a collection.

It's the beginning of a dream that finally became real.