THIS CREATIVE TRIO
HAS SOMETHING UNIQUE
By Lou Duro  
       
  Athos, Porthos, and Aramis . . . stand aside. There's a new trio in town – Catrin, Renie and Patrick – and they've taken your motto of "all for one" to a new level. In this case, the "one" represents a new concept in fashion and design from Crete – something that is . . . unique.

It all began earlier this year when three friends – Catrin Johansson of Sweden, Renie Spykerman of Holland and Patrick Verschueren of Belgium – sat down over coffee in a Gournes apartment to discuss future plans. These people from diverse lands had several things in common: they had immigrated to Crete for a better way of life and they were now at the stage that they were ready to undertake their own new venture. And, of course, they all happened to be very creative individuals.

But, in addition to their combined creative input, the three team members discovered that they also possessed experience and skills in other areas, which are needed to launch a successful business of this type. Catrin spent years travelling to other countries, including India, buying and selling semi-precious jewellery; Renie has a solid marketing background, and Patrick, an experienced builder, has the ability to see all projects through to completion.

Pooling their combined skills, the trio decided on the concept of creating hand-made jewellery and fashion accessories that are truly one-of-a-kind. And, according to Renie, there was only one name that would work: B-Younique.com.

"The original idea was to show and sell our jewellery through the internet," she said, "which, of course, we still do. But, as we grew and expanded we added other outlets. We now sell through our workshop in Gournes all year and at our shop in Star Beach in the summer season, too."

All of B-Younique's jewellery is created from natural materials including semi-precious gems, silver, hand-made beads, crystals and mother of pearl. In addition to featuring its own designs, B-Younique has the exclusive rights for all of Greece for a line of hand-made jewellery from India, which is offered through the Star Beach outlet.

In the short time since opening its doors, the company has already expanded into other areas of fashion and design. "Our original-designed bags became an instant hit," Renie says, "and customers can select one of our creations or show us their own design, and we'll create it for them. This 'Floridian Oblivion' bag (left) was purchased by a woman from Scotland who saw our ad in The Ko-Go while on holiday on Crete. We always have five or six at any one time, most of which are hand-painted and embroidered. Also, a line of designer belts is just about ready to be introduced."

Hand painted signs and complete decoration schemes are new additions to the B-Younique concept. "We design all types of interior, even exterior, projects," says Patrick, "such as dividing walls, cocktail tables, muraled walls and complete colour-coordinated environments.

Future plans include a division dedicated to the works of artists who live and work on Crete. This project will kick off with an art exhibition, show and sale tentatively set for early next year. In addition, the B-Younique team is currently working on their 2007 line of jewellery and bags which will be introduced at a special show and sale in December.
And, as regular readers of The Ko-Go Khronicles know, their busy schedule also includes writing for this newspaper: Renie pens the Through My Eyes column, while Patrick writes Ko-Go Sports.