“I would love to inspire more female designers to have the same feeling of being able to take up space, the way that male designers have been educated to.”
Words by Tatiana Georgakopolou. Portrait by Zach Apo-Tsang at New School Represents.
When you think of the brand Di Petsa, you most likely think of the ‘Wet Look’ dress. In just six years, Dimitra Petsa, the founder of her namesake label, has gone from a groundbreaking final collection at Central Saint Martins to being one of the most inclusive brands in every Fashion Week she has participated in. Not only that, but she also has developed a signature look, and a unique approach to fashion, that the likes of Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kylie Jenner with her daughter Stormi, SZA, Zendaya, Shakira and many more have adopted.
From an early age, Petsa knew that fashion was her calling. She grew up in Greece with her grandmother who was a seamstress, and it was then that Petsa began to understand the more intimate aspects of fashion. Some of her earliest memories were even of playing with pieces of fabric. However, she didn’t originally study fashion. “I grew up with fashion being the standard, so I felt like I needed to find a different inspiration,” she says. That’s why she first completed a BA in Performance Art and then did her MA fashion course at Central Saint Martins. This is where she debuted her first collection about the ‘Wetness Theory’ – an idea that she had been developing for a long time.
“It had a lot to do with bodily fluids, especially those from women, and the way we express our watery self and the fact that we come from water – which is something that is very controlled in the patriarchy,” she says about the project that birthed her famous ‘Wet Look’ technique. “If you cry in public, if you sweat, if you breastfeed, – you have to hide it. It’s almost as if the fact that we come from water, that we are wet, is something to be hidden. The ‘Wet Look’ is the highlight of this project.” Dimitra says, admitting that the ‘Wet Look’ ultimately is a declaration that we are wet, that we come from water, and that the female experience is nothing to be ashamed of.
Of course, perfecting this idea was no easy feat. It took Petsa six months to develop the ‘Wet Look’, but she was determined. “I feel that within couture fashion, there is a lot of limitation that is not catering to bigger bodies, to changing bodies,” Petsa explains. “As a woman designer, I feel that fashion has to give space to women to be able to change with their clothes. And the thing with the ‘Wet Look’ is that it’s very couture, but it’s also stretchy. So, if you lose or gain a bit of weight, it still fits.”
As this project grew, so did Petsa. “I feel like I have redefined for myself what strength means and also how I define my own body. I’ve realized that in the patriarchy, the female body and the female experience is something so defined, so put into boxes.” These are the boxes she wishes to subvert. After all, “our call as women is to redefine ourselves,” she says.
Today, even with her impressive clientele, her goal to make women feel more comfortable in their wetness, has not changed – nor has her way of working. “I definitely think that we do things a little bit differently, not only in my designs, but in the way we work. We are really community-led. I use the same models again and again and when I see someone’s portofolio, I’m equally interested in what kind of person they are,” she admits, saying that it’s very important for her to see her team as a family. Maybe that’s the reason, “People always say that we have the calmest backstage in every fashion week.”
This same camaraderie flows into the studio. “There’s all these women that are working for the same thing. There is a lot of love there, and commitment. We are connecting,” she says, before clarifying that her favourite time of the day is when the studio is empty and she’s by herself. “The studio for me is a symbol of the extroversion that you need to have as a designer, but also a symbol of profound introversion that I need to be creative.”
As for what’s next for her and the Di Petsa brand? Petsa is in Paros currently – the place that calms her the most – and is already working on her next collection. By June, her Resort Collection, which will include her first ever menswear line, will be out. Overall, Dimitra Petsa is also looking forward to developing her fine arts practice again, working on a new exhibition, and continuing her journey of growth as an artist.
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