Interview

Dimitra Petsa on Intimacy, Mythology, and the Archaeology of Self

Dimitra Petsa, the artistic designer behind the multi-faceted womenswear brand, Di Petsa, spoke with us about her new collection, her roots in performance art, and why intimacy is at the heart of her work.

The Archaeology of Self

This season’s collection, titled The Archaeology of Self, is an exploration of self-discovery. Dimitra describes it as “psychological excavation” that parallels psychoanalysis with archaeology, unearthing truths buried in the subconscious.

On stage, this concept comes alive through characters who begin as archaeologists and gradually transform into godlike beings. “It is this idea that what you look for, you become,” she explains. “It is about seeing our experience through a lens of spiritual and magical realism.”

The choice of venue underscores the theme. “Town Hall is the perfect place for the show, with its marble pillars and underground setting,” she adds. “The audience will descend below ground to experience a metamorphosis that echoes the act of digging into the earth to uncover hidden truths.”

Performance, Intimacy, and Personal Mythology

Before fashion, Dimitra trained in performance art, and that background continues to shape her approach. “For me, fashion is a form of performance art. When you design clothing, you are designing someone’s experience, even part of their identity.”

Her collections are deeply personal. She often incorporates garments or jewellery from her own life, infusing them with fragments of memory and meaning. “You may not know what those fragments represent, but you feel the intimacy in the overall collection,” she says.

Family and friends remain central to her practice. Her mother helps with production, her father builds sets, including the wings for this season’s opening look, and her sister models. Even her grandmother, who first taught her to sew, is woven into the brand’s story. “Fashion has always been something very personal and intimate,” Dimitra reflects.

Transformations and Offerings

For Dimitra, clothing is not about trends but transformation. “I hope people feel elevated when they wear my work, perhaps even goddess-like,” she says. Each garment is created as a kind of votive offering, a prayer or blessing passed from designer to wearer.

This belief in fashion as energy leads her to resist easy categorisation. “Fashion is always changing, but it is also always the same. Younger designers face pressure to be visible online before they have perfected their craft. I do not see this as good or bad, simply a different kind of pressure.”

What she does hope to see is more space for women. “I would love to see more female designers and more emphasis on young female talent,” she says.

Fashion as Culture-Maker

For Dimitra, fashion is both reactive and directive. “Designers can unwittingly create new movements or reinforce existing ones,” she notes. “When you design someone’s appearance, you are shaping how they live and how they communicate. Visual language becomes personal language.”

Collaboration, she stresses, is central to this work. “I may be the seed of the vision, but it takes huge teams to bring it to life. Town Hall has been amazing in supporting us as the concept evolved. A show is never fixed, it is fluid and constantly shifting.”

The Archaeologist of Self

Ultimately, Dimitra hopes her audience leaves with a renewed sense of reflection. “I want to become an archaeologist of myself,” she says. “To dig deeper, to find truth, to bring more poetry and meaning into my life. If the show gives people even a small sense of introspection, then I have succeeded.”