We Vetted Ancient Greek Sandals, Here’s Everything You Need to Know
An honest review of Ancient Greek Sandals to help you find the best handmade leather sandals.
Founded by Christina Martini and Nikolas Minoglou, Ancient Greek Sandals offers a line of handmade leather sandals that marry traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design. With sandals handcrafted in Greece by skilled artisans using traditional techniques that are centuries old, we were excited to try Ancient Greek Sandals because it has such a strong reputation for quality.
From dressy and delicate to casual and comfortable, our editors vetted three pairs of Ancient Greek Sandals taking into consideration factors like style, quality, and comfort. If you’re considering buying a pair of Ancient Greek Sandals, read on for everything you need to know about these handmade leather sandals.
Ancient Greek Sandals Review Criteria
All of the brands and products we review are independently selected by our editors based on our vetting criteria. We will only recommend products that meet our strict quality standards and that we think our readers would love.
When reviewing Ancient Greek Sandals we considered the following criteria:
- Style
- Quality
- Sizing
- Support
- Comfortability
- Uniqueness
- Brand Values
The Verdict
Ancient Greek Sandals are worth the investment. All of our editors unanimously agreed that Ancient Greek Sandals are of premium quality, have beautiful designs, and are extremely comfortable. We all noted the obvious attention to detail in the craftsmanship, the comfortable leather soles, and how gracefully the sandal moves with the foot. We love that the sandal collections feature on-trend details without straying too far from a timeless design.
The Haul
If you browse the Ancient Greek Sandals Website, you’ll discover handmade leather sandals in a variety of styles and collections ranging from classic designs and gladiator sandals to dressier styles in Ancient Greek Sandals’ Evening and Bridal collections. Ancient Greek Sandals also offers a Comfort Soles collection that features more casual designs with more support.
Our editors selected the Whitney Footbed from the comfort sole collection, the Saita from the evening collection, and the Taygete from the classic collection.
Ancient Greek Sandals Review Breakdown
Below is a more detailed breakdown of our reasoning behind each rating in our vetting criteria. Ancient Greek Sandals scored highest in Style, Quality, and Comfort.
Style
Ancient Greek Sandals has many versatile collections including the Classic, Archive, Evening, Wedding, and Comfort Sole collections. We love the versatility of the sandal designs throughout these collections that can take you from a casual day on the beach to a dressy night out on the town without worrying about heel height. Whether pairing Ancient Greek Sandals with a favorite dress, a casual ensemble, or slipping on a pair when dressing to impress, we all agreed that these sandals complemented a variety of outfits making them a summer wardrobe staple. It’s also worth noting that the quality and craftsmanship make the Ancient Greek Sandals’ designs truly shine. Christina Martini and Nikolas Minoglou’s line is also always expanding to add new styles and new arrivals like the latest release of the classic closed clog.
Quality
Overall, the quality and attention to detail of these Greek sandals are hard to match. Ancient Greek Sandals utilizes a unique style of craftsmanship where the upper part of the shoe seamlessly folds into the insole using a technique that requires minimal stitching. Each sandal is handcrafted with a leather sole, features an upper with raw edges, and sandal straps are seamlessly joined together by platinum rivets. Throughout each collection, a variety of techniques are used to decorate the uppers, including hot stamps, lacing, cut-outs, printing, braiding, beading, and embossing. It’s also worth noting that Ancient Greek Sandals utilizes chemical-free, natural leather that ages beautifully and gets more comfortable over time.
Support
While the comfort sole collection from Ancient Greek Sandals offers the most support, the leather-sole sandals are also extremely comfortable. They feature a subtle wedge between the sandal’s heel and insole to provide extra support, and there’s a thin rubber anti-slip heel under the leather sole for more traction. The Whitney sandal truly felt like walking on a cloud with some serious arch support while the flatter, leather sole sandals were supportive yet flexible, moving with the shape of the foot for ideal comfort.
Comfort
We found Ancient Greek Sandals to be extremely comfortable. While the Whitney sandal featured comfort bed support that feels like you can walk all day, the leather sole sandals shape to your feet with wear and get even more comfortable over time.
Sizing
Ancient Greek Sandals are based on Italian sizing and the website states that they are made true to size. However, it’s important to note that the sandals only come in full sizes, so if you are in between sizes, it’s best to order a size up. We are all half sizes and sized up for a perfect fit. The Greek sandals also lean towards a narrow fit, so if you like your sandals roomier, you can check out their size guide for a better idea of fit.
Uniqueness
We all agreed that Ancient Greek Sandals is a truly unique brand from all angles, starting with its founders. Christina Martini is a former shoe designer at Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton, while cofounder Nikolas Monoglou has a background in engineering and running a family-owned shoe business. The team merged their talents to close a gap in the fashion industry by introducing centuries-old Mediterranean craftsmanship techniques into the luxury sandal market. From the brand’s sandal designs inspired by Ancient Greek sculpture and mythology to the unique approach to craftsmanship, the duo’s love of quality and artful design really shines through in Christina Martini and Nikolas Minoglou’s line.
Brand Values
Ancient Greek Sandals embodies many of the values that we look for in brands including woman-owned, handcrafted, and the use of upcycled materials in some styles.
Ancient Greek Sandals Pros and Cons
What Sets It Apart
Handcrafted
Handcrafted by skilled artisans in Greece using traditional Mediterranean techniques that date back centuries.
Premium Quality
Feature leather soles and artfully crafted uppers using chemical-free, natural leather that ages beautifully.
Extremely Comfortable
Feature a discrete wedge that has been added between the sandal’s heel and insole to provide extra support with a thin rubber, anti-slip heel under the leather sole for traction.
Beautiful Design
Offers a wide variety of collections and styles ranging from classic to contemporary Greek sandals with a former shoe designer for Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton leading the helm.
Editor Reviews
Are Ancient Greek Sandals Worth the Investment?
Yes. With three of our editors testing three separate pairs of Ancient Greek Sandals from various collections, we all agree that a pair of Ancient Greek Sandals is worth the investment. The handcrafted quality, premium materials with leather soles, and thoughtfully designed details for style and comfort sets Ancient Greek Sandals apart. With so many styles and collections to choose from, it’s easy to find a pair you’ll love. Plus, there’s always new arrivals to shop.
Where to Buy Ancient Greek Sandals
For the best selection, we recommend shopping the Ancient Greek Sandals Website directly.
Uncommon and Curated is an independent publication that’s supported by our readers. You can help support our publication by shopping through the links in this guide as we may receive a portion of sales. This helps us bring you more in-depth brand reviews like this one.
About Ancient Greek Sandals
Ancient Greek Sandals offers luxury sandals that are handcrafted by skilled artisans in Greece utilizing traditional Mediterranean techniques that date back centuries. Founded by Christina Martini who is a former designer for Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton and Nikolas Minoglou who has ample experience running his family’s well-established footwear business in Athens, the team’s passion and talent are reflected in each and every pair of delicately crafted sandals.
Rooted in Greek culture, the brand’s collections are inspired by ancient Greek sculpture and mythology. Drawing inspiration from the myths about gods’ and goddesses’ sandals having superpowers, the brand’s logo features golden wings inspired by the Greek god Hermes and his iconic winged gladiator sandals.
