Under the soft glow of handcrafted lights and the quiet rhythm of ancient looms, Phāea hosted “In Threads We Remember” an intimate private event at Mentis Antonopoulos (‘NEMA’) Passementerie of the Benaki Museum in Athens, honoring the living threads of Greek heritage, craftsmanship, and cultural memory.
At the heart of Phāea’s vision lies a belief in a Truer, More Timeless Greece. A Greece where culture is not displayed but lived, where craftsmanship is not preserved in silence but activated through human connection, and where hospitality becomes a medium for storytelling, consciousness, and continuity. The brand’s partnership with the Benaki Museum reflects its broader commitment to conscious hospitality, where luxury is defined not by excess, but by authenticity, memory, and emotional resonance. As Phāea continues to push the boundaries of experiential travel.
Hosted by Agapi Sbokou, CEO of Phāea, the evening celebrated friendships and long-standing partnerships, as well as honored the living threads of Greek heritage, craftsmanship, and cultural memory. She reflected on her family’s personal connection to craft, sharing stories of her family heritage and her grandmother’s looms, now permanently exhibited at Phāea properties.
Set among archival boxes, 18th-century Jacquard looms, and the soft rhythm of a live hammered dulcimer, the space transformed into a sensory landscape where history became motion, sound, and light. Guests were guided by Mrs. Virginia Matseli, Ethnologist and Social Anthropologist, former Director of Modern Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture and the inspirer behind the revival of NEMA. Through her storytelling, the passementerie revealed itself not merely as a workshop, but as a guardian of collective memory, where every thread carries a story and every machine remembers a hand.
The experience was illuminated by Reywal, a series of handcrafted lighting installations by Joy Stathopoulou, whose luminous sculptures filtered light through hundreds of colorful threads, creating a poetic dialogue between silk and steel, past and present. Within the same space, Phāea unveiled its new curated publication ‘Arts & Craftsmanship’, celebrating the brand’s long-standing collaborations with Greek ceramicists, muralists, painters, designers, and craftsmen across its properties.
True to its roots, the evening concluded with a Cretan gastronomic ritual, serving delicacies made with authentic local products such as Amari mizithra, followed by the symbolic cutting of the 2026 Vasilopita, marking continuity, gratitude, and renewal. The night unfolded as a living dialogue between past and present, between silk and steel, light and memory, machine and hand.
ABOUT PHĀEA:
Phāea is a private Greek family company passionately committed to reshaping the landscape of Greek hospitality. Inspired by the integrity of the Cretan soul, Phāea stands as a visionary in Greek Hospitality, dedicated to curating meaningful travel experiences for like-minded individuals. Marrying integrity with care, and expertise with passion, Phāea embraces innovation, sustainability, and family values to create concepts that honor people, guests, and associates alike. The company operates four hotel properties under the Phāea brand, each reflecting a deep respect for the culture, heritage, and environment of Greece. As a female-led company, managed by second-generation hoteliers Agapi and Costantza Sbokou, Phāea is more than a hospitality brand; it is a collection of Cretan escapes that evolve with the destination. Evident in every interaction, Phāea is dedicated to creating a truer, more timeless Greece that is worth celebrating.
