Close friends Ana Mokia and Nino Eliava are founders of 0711 TBILISI, a designer handmade label started in 2012 and based entirely in Georgia. Each handwoven bag is made by local artisans combining traditional weaving and contemporary design. Alongside 0711 TBILISI, MORE IS LOVE is a concept store where they curate designer clothing, jewellery, loungewear, beauty, and accessories.
This interview is part of The World Made Local, a global collaboration between the seven international editions of Condé Nast Traveller in which 100 people in 100 countries tell us why their home turf should be your next destination.
What makes Tbilisi unique?
The hospitality of the people; tbilisi means ‘warm’ in Georgian. There is a Georgian proverb that the guest is from God. We try to embrace this proverb as much as we can. When we have a guest in the city, we show them the most of it, take them to the best restaurant, shower them with presents. Our culture is very sophisticated, very artistic. The cuisine is also sophisticated, delicious, and complex. One of our favourites is a local restaurant called Keto and Kote. There are a lot of good places in the city, like Rooms Hotel, Shushabandi, Stamba Hotel, Cafe Littera, Weller, and many more.
Is there a smell, a sound, or a flavour that instantly reminds you of Tbilisi?
When I was little, we used to live in Moscow. Every summer we visited my grandparents in Tbilisi. As a tradition we strolled through the neighbourhood where sunflower seeds were fried with salt. I think this smell always reminds me of the old days and the tradition of sitting in the kitchen with the whole family. That's the main thing that I miss: family and the gatherings around the table, which is a big part of our culture.
How would you describe Tbilisi's creative scene?
I think it's booming and it's very bohemic. We have a lot of talented young creatives: artists, musicians, designers. This industry is our core; I think it has a great potential to develop into something absolutely unique, great, and authentic. We very much hope to be a part of it when it reaches the peak.
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What is something that you wish that people knew about Tbilisi that they don't?
The Georgian alphabet! It was created in the fifth century B.C., and it's one of the most ancient and unique alphabets. A topic that has been brought up lately is that Georgia is a cradle of wine; winemaking comes from our country. When we try to tell French people, they laugh until they read the history books and see that it's true!
What are some of the places you would recommend to someone visiting Tbilisi?
We would definitely send them to the wine store 8000 Vintages. For shopping, we would recommend our boutique, and then we would take them to a really cool local produce store; it has different Georgian products gathered from different regions. It's called Communal Craft. They have baskets woven by hand in Georgian villages. There are also a lot of spice shops that we would recommend to visit and the cheese shops. We have hundreds of cheese varieties in the country.
Where would you go to relax? Where is the place that has the most beautiful spot or beautiful view?
In Tbilisi, the view from Queen Darejan's balcony in the monastery, where you can see the ancient city. It's one of the most beautiful views in town. There is an authentic restaurant at the Funicular; they play old Georgian songs. And when you sit on a terrace, you hear those songs and you can imagine that you are somewhere ancient; you don't feel like you are in a modern-day city. It's very relaxing, and they have some delicious food-a great place to visit.
Georgia has the most picturesque views, like in Kakheti. It's the region where the wine was actually created. There's Alazani Valley; it has beautiful meadows and mountains where the colours of the landscape change throughout the day. It's one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen anywhere in the world. Especially if you're sitting in the vineyard and looking at the grapes, sipping wine, it makes you feel almost philosophical.
The most ancient city, Mtskheta, was the first capital of Georgia: A place where two rivers join together can be seen from a Jvari Monastery.
Follow Nino Eliava on Instagram @ninoeliava