Zacharias Petrakis & Alejandro Hernandez Bascon

Leatherworker

©Panayiotis Agkavanakis

Finding freedom

Zacharias and Alejandro use Japanese bookbinding techniques
They design exclusive leather collections for Greek museum shops
They combine leather from Cretan goats with silkscreen printing

Zacharias Petrakis knew from a very young age that he wanted to follow a creative path. He started studying drawing at 14 and sculpture at Fine Arts School at 19. The idea for silkscreen printing was born when his mother asked him to draw some t-shirts by hand to sell in her shop. Alejandro Hernandez Bascon, a graphic designer, joined the project soon after because he loved the idea of designing a product, creating all the branding and crafting it themselves. Together, they create art objects for concept and museum shops using materials such as leather and acrylic for accessories, clothing, home decor, and stationery items as well as art and illustrations. Their space is a creative workshop based in Exarcheia, an alternative neighbourhood of Athens, where everyone is welcome.

Interview

©Panayiotis Agkavanakis

©Panayiotis Agkavanakis

When and how did you actually start?: Alejandro: we started doing souvenirs for tourist shops in Greece in 2011. We were printing in the living room of our small apartment in Madrid. It was hard because of the uncertainty at the beginning but very inspiring at the same time.
What is a unique moment from your professional life?: Zacharias: when we went to Spinalonga Island in a small boat after we had signed a contract with the Ministry of Culture, where the museum’s manager gave us a tour to get inspired.
What do you love most about your craft?: Alejandro: spending hours or days on a new design, thinking about it and redoing parts of it, just to find the ideal version that will make us feel happy about it.
What’s it like creating as a team?: Zacharias: success derives from the combination of our two completely different personalities that encounter to give birth to a product while at the same time we evolve as humans through this creation.

Zacharias Petrakis & Alejandro Hernandez Bascon are master artisans: they began their career in 2010 and they started teaching in 2015