Yorgos Mitakidis
Yorgos Mitakidis is a gifted young pipe maker based in Thessaloniki, Greece, whose work includes a rare blend of tradition, precision, and quiet innovation. Yorgos showed an early affinity for the arts—particularly painting and music—creative pursuits that would later shape his unique sensibility as a craftsman.
While studying Agricultural Technology at the University of Thessaloniki, Yorgos encountered the world of pipe smoking through a deeply personal lens. A pipe and tin of tobacco, purchased in tribute to a family friend who had left a strong impression on him as a child, became the spark that ignited his journey into pipe making. Before ever carving a pipe, Yorgos gained valuable workshop experience helping a friend build traditional Greek bagpipes. This hands-on introduction to tools, materials, and craftsmanship revealed his natural ability with machinery and wood, a skill set he would later channel into pipe making.
In 2017, shortly after completing his academic internship, Yorgos established his own workshop in Thessaloniki. Since then, he has been producing exceptional, handmade pipes in the classic English and French aesthetic while subtly exploring more contemporary lines and finishes. His work is a disciplined and expressive form that make his interpretations of English shapes fresh and distinctive. Yorgos is especially admired for his ability to master deceptively simple silhouettes. In the world of pipe making, the clean, symmetrical lines of traditional French and English forms can be among the most unforgiving, and any imbalance is immediately apparent. But this is precisely where Yorgos excels. His shaping is crisp and intentional, and his sandblasting is deep, textured, and expressive.
Working exclusively with high-grade Mediterranean briar and premium German ebonite, Yorgos favors a minimalist aesthetic. When embellishments are added, he often selects natural materials like horn or bamboo, though he has recently begun incorporating touches of silver and brass to striking effect. Each of his pipes is individually stamped with his name, track number, and year of production.
While many artisan pipe crafters draw influence from the fluid forms of Danish design, Yorgos Mitakidis has carved a more traditional path, rooted in the English and French schools that defined 20th-century pipe making. His portfolio occasionally ventures into more expressive territory, proof of what can happen when a talented carver chooses to color outside the lines.
