Since 1979 he has been processing all kinds of leather into bags, belts and, above all, leather jackets. Deeply inspired by the American spirit, Thedi focuses on a revival of classic cuts and fits with great attention to detail, material and absolute passion.
Through his passion for motorcycles (the first was an Adler, a gift from his father, the second a Yamaha 750cc), Theodoros Pampoukas got the opportunity to get closer to leather processing. He really wanted a high-quality and beautiful motorcycle jacket to impress his great love Dimitra, but at the time he could not afford any of the well-known brands. After some time, they simply designed their first jacket themselves. Together with his wife, he founded the company Thedi Leathers.
Through his passion for motorcycles (the first was an Adler, a gift from his father, the second a Yamaha 750cc), Theodoros Pampoukas got the opportunity to get closer to leather processing. He really wanted a high-quality and beautiful motorcycle jacket to impress his great love Dimitra, but at the time he could not afford any of the well-known brands. After some time, they simply designed their first jacket themselves. Together with his wife, he founded the company Thedi Leathers.
Thedi Leathers reached its peak in the 1980s and early 1990s with over 200 dealers. The leather was delivered directly to the factory from the local tanneries in Thessaloniki. Then a lot changed in his life when he lost Dimitra to cancer. Memories of his wife were everywhere - in the nickname Thedi and of course in the brand they created together. Theodoros understandably fell into a deep hole for several years, was able to pick himself up again, but after that valued quality more than quantity.
Thedi continues to work purely by hand in very small quantities. Today, Thedi Leathers sells internationally in just around twenty selected stores in Central Europe, two in the USA and two in China. The small team of seven employees understands each other without many words. Two of these artists, George and Dimitris, have been with him for over 30 years.
Thedi Leathers jackets are still full of high-quality details, each of which is produced in a completely traditional way: from selecting the right piece of leather to cutting, sewing, turning up the edges and seams, waxing, oiling and constantly refining them. He has experimented a lot over the years and developed completely new techniques that make his jackets unique. The fact that Thedi leather jackets are inspired by earlier times is immediately apparent from the thickness of the processed leather. Only a few are able to work with this thickness at all.
But it becomes soft over time and with frequent wear and then adapts completely to its owner. And that for a lifetime. So if you want a robust, completely hand-crafted, high-quality and above all individual leather jacket and also an absolutely special heritage look, then Thedi Leather is just the thing for you.
Impressive
A Living Museum
In the workshop in Thessaloniki you can still feel and see the traditional craftsmanship. With many old tools, exclusively manual work and currently seven employees, only a very limited number of jackets can be produced each year.
Theodoros' goal is to pass on all his accumulated skills, know-how and passion to the next generation: his daughter Alexandra, who studied fashion design in Cambridge, currently runs a small shop in downtown Thessaloniki where the first workshop once stood. And her husband Petros even gave up his career as a lawyer to work for the company. Thedi Leathers will therefore continue as a family business for decades to come.
