The Beginning of Our Yarn Journey
The beginning of our journey into the magical world of yarn began when Argyris Chatzimallis, a librarian and art conservator, met the traditional dance and through it became fascinated by the texture and structure of the traditional handmade garment.
His desire to deconstruct as well as research the ways in which traditional costumes were created and decorated in the Balkan Peninsula, led him to engage initially in knitting and crocheting, embroidery and sewing on his grandmother's sewing machine, using traditional patterns.

"You can't perform without the right clothes"
"...so, when I started dancing, I noticed and being interested in fabric. Later, because I love making handcrafts, I started crocheting some jewellry and then I started collecting clothes in order to remake and wear them. In the past, everyone wore a uniquely designed garment because it was handmade and the creator would always put his personal touch on it, differentiating it from anything else. Now we are all forced to wear the same. If there's one thing I don't like, it's uniformity and I applaud diversity. Handmade products can never be the same."
From Passion to Creation
For the end, he left the most difficult but also the most charming, which is the loom. After long-term research in the countryside of Lesvos and a five-year apprenticeship in Athens, he decided to pursue his dream and thus the idea of LEBADES was born.

"Back side of authentic Lebades from the village of Agiasos, Lesvos. Personal collection of Argyris Chatzimallis."
LEBADES, in Lesvos, is the velvet and gold-embroidered wedding vest worn by women in the village of Agiasos and other parts of the island. In order Argyris to honor the traditional garment, as well as his place of origin, elements that inspire him every day, he decided to give this name to the whole project.
A Biochemist's Artistic Journey
Alper Babadostu, a biochemist specializing in biotechnology, grew up in Ayvalık listening to stories about the daily life and life of his ancestors in the villages of Lesvos. Gazing at the other side of the Aegean, he always felt an inner attraction for this place. After some years of residence in Izmir and Istanbul and having a strong need to travel, he stayed for a while in Athens until he returned to the land of his childhood stories, Lesvos, where he has been living for the last few years.
Lover of music and amateur instrument player, he met and loved the musical tradition of Lesvos and its people. His acquaintance with Argyris and his art, led him to combine the notes with the yarns. With his guidance, he himself began the journey into the world of textile art, starting to create his first handmade products.
It has always been Alper's dream to create his own enterprise. With a particular focus on organization and financial management, he spent years examining ideas and exploring alternatives. Lesvos and his acquaintance with the loom provided the solution.


So when an artistic vein met a business demon, LEBADES took on flesh and bones. When Argyris Chatzimallis collaborated with Alper Babadostu, LEBADES NON PROFIT CIVIL LAW COMPANY was born. With our common perception of respecting human being and environment, and our passion and belief in the handmade product and its’ uniqueness, we met on the island of Lesvos, became good friends and joined our aims. The endless discussions about the common refugee history of our ancestors, one Greek from Bergama, the other Turkish from Lesvos, got “mixed” with the colors and the yarns… Two worlds so different but so similar, with a common long-suffering history and common experiences, united in our LEBADES.