Doukas Chatzidoukas (known as DUKAS), established the eponymous brand in 2003. He created his first Shoes & Accessories collection which contained Prêt-à-Porter products with vivid Haute Couture elements.
The same year DUKAS accepted an invitation from the ‘Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana’ to participate in ‘Alta Moda’, a week of Italian haute couture. VOGUE Italia publication characterised him as a ‘subversive fetishist’ newcomer talent.
DUKAS items were instantly characterised as luxury and became extremely successful, as they were adored not only in Greece but also in Europe and America in upscale boutiques such as L’Eclaireur in Paris and Luisa Via Roma in Florence.
The following year ‘SWAROVSKI’ due to the Olympic Games of ATHENS 2004 assigned DUKAS the project to create an extremely subversive Haute Couture sandal made of leather, plexiglass and Swarovski crystal mesh (a material which contains crystals in the form of tessera) which presented the classic Greek motive of Meandros. The Olympic sandal, from 2004 until now, is being exhibited at the ‘International Swarovski Museum’ in Austria and bears the signature DUKAS Made in Hellas.
Olympic Games medal winner Niki Xanthou was chosen to be the face of the advertising campaign for the Olympic sandal.
During the same year, popular Greek music station ‘MAD TV’ collaborated with DUKAS to design the award statue of the MAD Music Video Awards 2004. DUKAS continued designing successfully these awards for three consecutive years, up until 2006.