Glamorous mother and daughter duo struggle to keep handmade dresses in stock as they sell $80,000 worth in DAYS – here’s how to get your hands on the perfect spring gown
- Lia and Lefka Georgantis are the proud owners of Sydney store Girls with Gems
- It began with Lefka selling jewellery before it became a multi-brand boutique
- One of its most popular brands is D’Artemide, which are hand sewn in Athens
- The brand’s Chloe dress has gone viral on TikTok, selling out within days
- The family business is rapidly growing in Double Bay, Sydney
A mother and daughter duo with a keen eye for luxury fashion and accessories have revealed they made a whopping $80,000 in just a few short days off one type of handmade dress in their store.
Lefka and Lia Georgantis started what was solely a jewellery brand in 2012 under the name Girls with Gems before transitioning over the past decade to a multi-brand clothing, shoes and accessories store located in Double Bay, Sydney.
It was Lefka’s pride and joy with a focus on opulent and Mediterranean-inspired jewellery when it started in their home, before she purchased a hotel called White Pebble Suites in Milos, and started to commute between Australia and Greece depending on the season.
Lefka and Lia Georgantis started what was solely a jewellery brand in 2012 under the name Girls with Gems before transitioning over the past decade to a multi-brand clothing, shoes and accessories store located in Double Bay, Sydney
That’s when her 26-year-old daughter Lia entered the business, helping to expand the brand and its social media following – which now stands at 43,000 on Instagram alone.
‘Every brand we added to the mix was because we felt we had gaps in our own wardrobe,’ Lia told FEMAIL.
‘Extending on that, my mum and I both innately want to make women feel confident and we both feel that we can do that through fashion and dressing women.’
Lia was studying law at Sydney University right up until 2019 when she had hopes of working in a commercial law firm.
But her mother’s undertaking in Greece paved the way for Lia to takeover and she felt it was too good of an opportunity to miss out on… although she does still get behind-the-scenes guidance from mum Lefka.
Lia was studying law at Sydney University right up until 2019 when she had hopes of working in a commercial law firm
One brand they stock, D’artemide , is helping bring Greece to Australia with its crepe-style silhouette. Each piece is handmade in Athens by a group of older ladies and their $399 ‘Chloe’ dress, available in 12 colours, is difficult to keep in stock
One brand they stock, D’artemide, is helping bring Greece to Australia with its crepe-style silhouette. Each piece is handmade in Athens by a group of older ladies and their $399 ‘Chloe’ dress, available in 12 colours, is difficult to keep in stock.
‘I can say that off the back of the Chloe dress going viral on TikTok we turned over $80,000 of the one single dress in a matter of a few days,’ Lia said.
‘Girls with Gems as a brand has seen exponential growth over the last few years, but growth has been rapid since we re-opened post lockdown on October 11.
‘We saw existing and new clients flock in after seeing us extensively on social media, that type continues today and is really exciting.’
Other popular designers include Camilla and Marc, Michael Lo Sordo, P.E Nation, Rebecca Vallance and Balenciaga
Other popular designers include Camilla and Marc, Michael Lo Sordo, P.E Nation, Rebecca Vallance and Balenciaga.
During lockdown Lia invented a new social media segment called ‘Same, Same but Different Size’ to showcase wears in various sizes on different models, which also helped them get nationwide recognition.
‘We had emails, phone calls and DMs daily telling us how confident we were making women feel,’ Lia said.
‘That was a really special feeling for me. Also landing some incredible exclusive brands and creating those relationships with other female founders and seeing each others businesses grow.’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk