Welcome to PHILYRA!

Meet Rita

Hello, I am Rita, the owner, designer and maker here at PHILYRA^®. I was born and raised in a coastal suburb of Athens, Greece and have been living in London since 2006.

My passion for making things began when I was a primary school girl; back then, I loved to make paper flowers and greeting cards and giving them to my family members as gifts. No matter what the occasion was, I had a card for it (!) and fast forward 25 years later, my mother has a collection of my early works that makes me cry with laughter whenever I see it.

Even though I always loved art and crafting, I have never viewed myself as particularly talented (and apparently neither did my arts teacher in junior high school!) and as the years went by I focused on my passion for music and science. When it was time to decide what career, I would like to follow, I chose pharmacy and so in 2006 I moved to the UK to begin my studies at King’s College London.

How it all began

After a few years of working in community pharmacy, I decided to study another master’s degree- this time in marketing management. A couple of months after my graduation, my life changed; I was diagnosed with an acute, life-threatening condition which required immediate treatment and meant that I would have to put my life on hold for a little bit. My treatment journey was not easy- I spent more than a month in intensive care and it took a very long time to recover.

One day, when I was in hospital, my mother brought me a gift from the person who has been my friend longer than anyone else. It was a gouri (good luck charm bracelet) and was accompanied by the sweetest words anyone has ever written to me. It was the most amazing pick me up gift and what made it extra special was that it was chosen carefully by someone who I knew that deeply cared about me, despite our geographical distance.

When my treatment ended and I returned home, I found myself having plenty of free time -something which was extremely rare in the past- and I wanted to do something to give back to the science and the people who saved my life. It was almost Christmas so I thought- ‘I will give gouri-making a go; I will make some lucky charms and will put them up for sale on Etsy. Then I will donate the money to charities that care for people with conditions like mine’.

To my pleasant surprise, the lucky charms I made sold out within days and this success inspired me to continue my crafting journey.  And that’s how PHILYRA^® was born in December 2019!

The present

Since launching the Boutique on Etsy, my mission has been to handcraft limited edition jewellery pieces and accessories that spread smiles, give back to charity and most importantly come at perfect prices for your pocket!

I know that buying a present isn’t always easy and that it is often hard to find little treats for yourself or your loved ones that do not look and feel mass-produced. I believe in the joy of gift-giving and I prioritise quality over quantity so that the recipients of my products feel extra special when they unbox their PHILYRA^® parcels.

My desire is to give as many people as possible the chance to feel happy and so I have decided to permanently donate profits from the sales of my products to registered charities in England. Over the last 7 months, the wonderful support of my customers has enabled me to aid charitable causes that are close to my heart and for that I am forever grateful!

Looking into the future

I currently design and create all my products with love in my small studio in south London. My team currently consists of only two members – myself and George, my life partner, who provides technical support and is the greatest champion of my ideas and dreams. Every now and then he likes to joke about my habit of ordering too many craft supplies and the lack of storage space at our flat but of course that doesn’t put me off!

My aim is to be able to bring to you at least two new collections per year and I am constantly working to source new suppliers and materials so that I can create designs that you will love and be able to continue to support good causes.

So here’s to the future and our new adventures together!

 p
  Rita

 

P.S: Thank you so much for visiting the Boutique! Please feel free to follow along on Facebook / Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to the Boutique’s newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news and offers!  If you wish to send me a message with any questions, comments, or if you wish to just say hello, you can contact me at rita@philyragifts.com.

I look forward to connecting with you all!