Elle Sakellis left her career on Wall Street to pursue her dream, fashion. She launched Otrera featuring her own branded line of jewelry and scarves. The name of her line comes from the Greek mythology, as Otretra is the Queen of Amazons. Her unique creations have been worn by celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Rachel Ray, Paris Hilton, Stacy Keibler, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jennifer Lopez.

In 2004, Sakellis launched Otrera working with clients such as Victoria’s Secret, Boston Proper and Spiegel Catalog.  After several years of designing accessories for other labels, she decided to attempt her own branded line of scarves. Drawing inspiration from Greece, she launched her now famous line Evil Eye Scarf and it took just three short months for her scarves to travel to hundreds of stores worldwide.

Sakellis’ Greek heritage has played a prominent role in her entrepreneurship, as she claims. During her research to find the perfect brand name, she traveled back to her childhood memories of her grandmother telling her stories about the mysterious goddess, known for her fighting skills, beauty and bravery.

Elle’s designs were knocked off almost immediately after they hit the market and she was featured on the cover of the Life Style section of the Wall Street Journal in an article entitled “The Problem With Being a Trendsetter”.  It was then that she decided to capitalize on her talent and began working with other young designers who needed help launching their innovative designs into the marketplace.

She particularly helps young Greek women designers attempting to enter the world of fashion.