On April 29, 2009, the Government of Japan announced that His Majesty the Emperor of Japan awarded Mr. Dimitrios Koutsolioutsos, President of Folli Follie S.A. the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. In the announcement, the Japanese Government emphasized that the awarding was to specially commemorate Mr. Koutsolioutsos' contribution to promoting the economic relations amongst Greece and Japan.

Mr. Hirofumi Nakasone, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Japan stated: "Please accept my sincerest congratulations on the conferment of the Order Of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in recognition of your outstanding contribution".

Mr. Koutsolioutsos said: "I feel very honoured and proud that His Majesty the Emperor of Japan awards me the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, as a recognition of my contribution to connecting the two countries in economic and cultural terms. I have always admired the Japanese culture, I count many years of excellent business relationships with Japan and I could admit that the country holds a special place in my heart. I would like to thank His Majesty the Emperor of Japan for the honour and I commit to continue bringing closer the two countries". 

Folli Follie company, which designs, manufactures and distributes jewellery, watches and fashion accessories was founded in Greece in 1982 by Dimitrios and Ketty Koutsolioutsos to become today an international brand and one of the most powerful Groups in Greece in the field of retail and wholesale with the brands it owns and / or represents.

Mr. Koutsolioutsos is President of Folli Follie S.A., one of the first Greek companies to enter successfully in the Japanese market in the early 1990’s. Japan was the country selected for Folli Follie to start its international expansion and it did not take long for the brand to succeed and get the "passport" for its globalization. Nowadays, Folli Follie Japan employs more than 600 persons and counts around 80 points of sale across the country.

Mr. Koutsolioutsos' knowledge, experience and company success in the Japanese market were highly valued and appreciated by business people in Greece and Japan, and thus he was assigned the role of Chairman of the Greek-Japanese Chamber of Commerce. With the above mentioned role, Mr. Koutsolioutsos used his personal experience and contributed in creating new business opportunities for interested parties in Greek Japanese commercial exchanges.
 
Apart from the business / economic relationships, Mr. Koutsolioutsos supports the cultural exchanges amongst the two countries by sponsoring Japanese cultural events in Greece and organizing through the Folli Follie brand events that promote the Greek cultural heritage. 

It is worth mentioning that the award ceremony takes place twice per year in Japan, whereas the different medals awarded involve persons for their excellent contribution in Japan. The Order of the Rising Sun was the first award established in Japan in 1875 and until today medals have been awarded to selected international profound people, such as Cofi Anan, Queen Elisabeth of Great Britain, but also business people such as the President of Chanel in Japan, Richard Collasse and the President of Renault, Luis Schweitzer.

The official award ceremony for Mr. Koutsolioutsos will take place in a special reception at the Embassy of Japan in Athens in June.

The distinctive Folli Follie collections of jewellery, watches and accessories create a genuine "full fashion concept". Driven by the philosophy of offering "affordable, fashionable luxury", the international brand has a presence in 25 countries with more than 380 points of sale and continues to develop new strategically important markets around the world.

Related links

Folli Follie
http://www.follifollie.com

Greek-Japanese Chamber of Commerce
http://www.gjcc.gr/