I was born in Chicago and at the age of 5 my family moved to the island of Chios, Greece. My parents preferred that our family experience, and embrace our native culture. Upon leaving the ‘big city’, we relocated to a small island- Although our stay was for a short period, this is where I was enriched by my family values and cultures that lead me to the dream of Annie Handbags. We are quickly gaining global recognition. Chicago Social magazine says “Diamantidis’ line is well on the way to becoming one of Chicago’s premier luxury brands”, I was profiled by The Handbag Report as a “Haute Designer," and Australia’s Nine to Five Magazine features the Athena clutch as a “Fab Find”. Our handcrafted handbags are designed only from the finest quality skins: exotic, crocodile, python, ostrich, along with calfskin lined with suede and accented with genuine 14k gold. My inspiration comes from the women who carry them. They are Confident, successful, powerful, glamorous, elegant, sophisticated and sexy. In one, word a “Goddess”.

I was not able to find a handbag that appealed to me. Everything was either mass-produced and or overpriced with low quality. Most exotic skin handbags are stiff because of all the padding or the grade of skin was not ‘luxurious’. I sought to launch a handbag collection that exudes effortless glamour that is timeless and one of a kind. Annie Handbags are very lightweight- beautifully crafted – for a soft chic appeal that has versatility without the use of any rigid padding. They are a timeless treasure that can be passed down through generations and maintain the elegance and quality every woman desires.  Each Handbag pays homage to Greek Goddesses- Athena, Clio, Eris, and Selene. The names range from conservative to mischievous; they all have one thing in common, which is power. Just like the women that carry them.

In terms of a nightmare, we managed to sort out it just in time.  A Boutique owner fell in love with our Athena and Clio clutches and wanted us to offer them exclusively in denim to her clients. The hardware ordered took four weeks to arrive from Italy and did not hold down the tassels properly. We did not have time to wait for another shipment to arrive so I drove around town and found different hardware at a local hardware store and personally hand sewn each one just in time. One of my greatest achievements is to have our collection carried throughout the country in the hottest boutiques. It gives me great satisfaction to see women carrying an Annie Handbag because we furnish women with a balance of luxury and practicality. The women that carry one of our designer lines- feel glamorous, desirable, confident, and empowered, and this makes it all worth it!