MARRIA® .......... Australia

................MARRIA
................PO Box 1842
................Chatswood NSW 2057
................Sydney, Australia

................Ph: +61 4 10433611

MARRIA®

A Word from the Designer

I spent my formative years on the Greek Islands which led to a passion for designing swimwear and beachwear.

My upbringing in Athens introduced me to designer labels, including Western Europe's cultural obsession with adopting the latest fashion trends first.

I have visited the fashion capitals of the world (New York, Rome, Paris, London) and have attended various shows and events in order to feed my passion for fashion.

I moved to London for a few years to explore the ragtrade further and discovered that High Street windows were more orgasmic than Wimbledon. This is a big statement since I am an avid tennis lover. Ask my friends at IMG World. I am forever grateful to them for looking after me. VIP is always better.

Professionally, I started off in IT and after successfully launching the Internet Ratings in the Asia-Pacific region for the global leader in Marketing & Media Research, I moved into the television industry. I have worked as a Presenter/Producer and I am a qualified Journalist with a Degree in Media and Communications.

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It would be madness to avoid sharing with you a dance snap as dancing has been a major part of my life. I used to be called Michael Jackson from fellow dancers, a nickname that I embraced for many years. Although, my dancing shoes are now hanging in my shoe closet, I still love watching former colleagues perform and choreograph on some of the top rating television shows in the country. I may not be on the dancefloor anymore but I'm living my retired passion through their performances.

MARRIA® Fashion Bytes™ was created for those of you who visit numerous sites everyday, in order to get a snapshot of the global fashion news. I provide you with byte size news and if the story is of interest, you can click through to read more. Some of you have told me that you love gathering around the office computer in the mornings, reading the latest news.

MARRIA® Fashion Blog is my touch on the fashion pulse and according to your emails, you love this the most. I write news pieces that I believe are interesting, important or strange. "Maria Patapis brings on the fashion news from Down Under in Australia with panache", says Customized Girl in the United States. MARRIA® Fashion Blog was in the Top 100 Blogs from around the world and made the Top 10 News & Tips blogs.

MARRIA® Thongs is my line of footwear. They are rubber flip flops, they come in an assortment of colours and are named after Australian beaches. Some of the names include Bondi Red, Noosa Blue and Cottesloe Pink. This is my first collection of thongs. I have designed more and I plan to release them in the near future.
This line of upmarket flip flops for women is made from 100% rubber. Contrary to the belief of many retailers, most flip flops on the market are made of cheap material such as PVC or EVA and at times, a combination of both. What this means to the customer is generally, a cheaper price but an inferior product made of materials that don't provide comfort when worn for long periods of time. Here's a question to consider. If you were buying a pair of shoes, would you not choose leather over synthetic?
My aim was to combine style with comfort so, I sourced the finest and softest material. Rubber was the optimum choice which also makes MARRIA® thongs recyclable and thus, friendly to the environment. Further information on my new line of flip flops can be found at the MARRIA Store.

I am certain you will love MARRIA® thongs as much as I do.

Maria Patapis.