My mother’s shop, and what comes next.

My mother opened a small clothing shop on Paros more than twenty years ago. I grew up between its rails. When I went looking for work I could really commit to, I found it closer to home than I expected.

Her shops.

My mother opened her first shop in the old town of Parikia more than twenty years ago. It was small, the door was always open, and most of what hung on the rails was there because she wanted to wear it herself.

Naoussa followed some years later, just up from the old harbour. Both shops are still ours, and she’s still in them every summer.

She never had investors or a big plan. She had good taste, long days, and customers who came back year after year. Most of what I know about clothes, I learned by watching her.

22+Summers in ParikiaHer first shop, in the old town behind the port.
15+Summers in NaoussaJust up from the old harbour.
TodayOnlineBorn in Paros, worn everywhere.

II.

The trip that changed my mind.

A while ago I wanted to start something of my own. Not just a job, but work I’d wake up excited about, with a clear reason behind it.

I went with my mother to India, to the workshops where our clothes are made. I met the people who cut, print, dye and sew every piece, and saw how much of it is done by hand. I also saw how hard life is for many of the families around them.

I came home knowing what I wanted to do. Follow my mother’s footsteps, in a more modern way, and bring IZU to people far beyond Paros.

And do it so that the people who help build my life, by stitching, finishing and organising our clothes, feel it in theirs too.

GeorgeIZU Paros · Online

A smiling woman sitting on a floor cushion, holding a bundle of red printed drawstrings — Finishing the drawstrings, by hand.

Buy something because you love it. Giving back is our part of the deal.

III.

How we make things.

We still design everything on Paros, mostly in winter, when the island is quiet. Then we go to India and make each collection with the same workshops we’ve worked with for years.

We don’t send drawings and wait for boxes. We sit at the cutting tables, choose every fabric by hand, and fix things until they’re right. Collections stay small, and every style is made in limited numbers.

We choose workshops we know and visit ourselves, and we pay for the work at the price it deserves.

Fabric swatches pinned beside handwritten colour notes — Fabric swatches and colour notes.

Designed on ParosEvery piece starts on the island, mostly in winter, when Paros is quiet.
Made with people we knowThe same workshops for years. We visit, choose every fabric by hand, and pay for the work at the price it deserves.
Small by designCollections stay small, and every style is made in limited numbers.

IV.