Nicholas Soutzoglou, an energetic young man belonging to the Greek community of Sparta in Asia Minor, sets up a handmade carpet manufacturing plant in his home town. By 1920, the company occupies 3.000 weavers, exporting handmade carpets to England. By the end of the Greek–Turkish war, and after spending 2 years in exile in Eastern Asia Minor, Nicholas arrives in Greece in 1922 as a refugee, part of the mandatory exchange of populations between the two countries. Deprived of everything he had achieved and owned, he manages to start all over again by setting up a new carpet factory, employing weavers from the refugee settlement on the islands of Spetses and Hydra.
The second generation takes over in 1974, when his son Kyriacos, finishes his studies in England and returns to Athens. Within a year, he establishes a retail company and opens a shop in the center of Athens. The company, aptly named, SOUTZOGLOU CARPETS, expands its spectrum, dealing with all kinds of handmade carpets and textiles, including antiques and gradually establishing a prestigious name in the international carpet world.
The third generation joins the family business in 2012, when Kyriaco’s son Nicholas, after returning from his studies and work in Boston, opens his own carpet gallery, TEN CARPETS, dealing almost exclusively with modern handmade carpets and custom-made creations.
Kyriaco’s daughter Electra, having finished her studies in Boston and New York and after a brilliant career in the art world, which includes working for renowned art galleries and ending up heading the Frieze VIP department globally, takes over the business in 2020, and co-founds a new initiative within TEN CARPETS, called “Art Rug Projects”, which entails collaboration with international artists to make exceptional and unique handmade rugs and tapestries as unique works of art.
In the long history of the Soutzoglou family, each generation brought new life to our carpet and textile business. Consequently, the 3rd generation, faithful to the family tradition, gazes the future with respect for the past but with “a new look at carpets through the eyes of experience”.