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HOW IT ALL STARTED_?
Allokotes comes from the Greek word “allokotos", which means someone who deviates from the ordinary.
It’s made of two parts:“allos” which means “other” and “koteo” which means “to hope differently”. Allokotes are those who see the world sideways, dream a little differently and embraces life on their own delightfully odd terms.
The idea began with a tiny truth.. That we’re all a little Allokotes. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s just funny.
Allokotes were born in Naxos. They come from dried water gourds (locally called "flaskia"). They carry the village in their roots and the sun in their curves. They’re cultivated. Each one is lovingly shaped by hand, from a tiny seed into a full-grown lady. They carry a long history within their curves and yet inside, they hold tiny seeds for new great things to come, new odd little wonders, new smiles, new Allokotes waiting to be born.
FROM NAXIAN WATERGOURDS_
The use of the water gourds goes back to ancient times. Water gourds, also known as flaskia, kratounes, or karikes, are a type of gourd with large fruits of various shapes, whose shell becomes particularly hard and durable when dried. Although they are not edible, they are among the oldest cultivated plants in the world, having found countless uses as utensils and, most notably, as containers for carrying water and wine.
Each gourd has a unique shape. No two are ever the same.
They require plenty of water to grow and very special conditions to dry out properly. Today, they’re hard to find. You might still spot them in an old village grocery store, or hanging in a courtyard as a decoration. Water gourds currently are quite rare. People simply don’t plant them anymore.
AND HOW DO THEY BECOME ALLOKOTES_?
They are carefully selected, one by one, dried and polished with emery cloth. They go through a vinegar-water solution for protection, then they are hand-painted, dressed in their finest with dots as weird as their eyes and gaze at us with that peculiar look.
And just like water gourds, no two can ever be the same.
