The youngest of three siblings, Panagiotis Papadopoulos was born in Kertezi, Greece, and was nicknamed Panos from a young age.
He decided to continue his university studies there, working in kitchens, on a cruise ship, as a teacher, rest home worker, and prison guard, among other professions.
[1] In 1986, Papadopoulos founded a swimwear label, Panos Emporio, after noticing that the market predominantly had dull colours.
[1][3] In 1991, he was able to secure Jannike Björling, the former partner of Björn Borg, as his model, catapulting his label into the media limelight.
[1] In 2006, he bought 7.2% of the Swedish footwear retail chain Wedins,[12] but soon sold his shares at a profit after the company declined to give him a seat on the board.