RP: How has the financial crisis in Greece affected you?
DP: It has not affected me because I attack! I do not surrender. In these difficult times, I fight and give it my best without any cuts or reductions.

DIMITRIS PETROU is a young designer whose inspirational designs add to the new air in the Greek fashion scene.  He started presenting his own label with “Debu10” for a/w 09-10  which got great media attention. A true believer of telling his own truth, he presented us his “True” collection for S/S 2010 where he used “professional models and real people we meet everyday, since it was a collection designed for real/true people”. The “Sur Mesure” collection was for a/w 10-11 which as he said, “represented exactly what I want to say as a fashion designer. Rather than a catwalk I chose a space of modern art with video installations, music by Amateur Boyz and choreography by Constantinos Rigos.” His latest collection “Theros” for s/s 11  stands for the word “summer” and was a beautiful presentation of real, natural, down to earth tones.  Here he speaks to Runway Passport.

- TINA NIKIFORAKI, RP GREEK EDITOR

TINA NIKIFORAKI FOR RUNWAY PASSPORT: You do tailoring and also ready-to-wear, is that correct?
DIMITRIS PETROU: Yes. I have 2 lines; one is Dimitris Petrou which includes both menswear & womenswear clothing and accessories. The other is the Sur Mesure,  which ranges from wedding gowns, to suits, ties, bow ties and handmade knits, simply because I love creating unique items and having a personal connection with my clients. I want to listen to them and what they want to wear, the occasion they want to wear it for, and of course create them something that fits their body and reflects their own personality. For example, my previous collection was not available in stores since it was based on tailoring. It was only available through my showroom, which is a lovely bright and wide space in Kolonaki, the center of Athens and exactly the way I wanted it to be.

RP: Lately you haven’t participated in any of the fashion shows held in the Athens fashion weeks. Why is that?
DP: The truth is that my perception of fashion shows is ethereal fabrics and materials, lots of fabric, feathers and embroideries, which are nowadays outdated simply because no one dresses like that anymore. Even the Oscars are slowly moving towards something more modern and designers are also becoming more commercial out of necessity. Therefore, we have less impressive elements to show on the runway.. Because I am young and want to modernize and create a more european and international product, I always strive for different, fresh, real ideas to present my collections.

RP: Greece, just like Italy, is mostly a luxury market partly because it is a small market too. Therefore, is Sur Mesure something that finds more ground in Greece, or is it something that characterizes your work as well?
DP: First of all, I definitely enjoy the personal communication with my clients as I said before, and then Greek fashion has some limits. Greek designers, we do not have the support or the mechanisms to export fashion overseas, therefore we all work by individual orders and wedding gowns.
In regards to the luxury market you mentioned, the real luxury goes back to what we learned from our parents, it goes back to sur mesure (tailor made in French) and that is in fact the ultimate luxury! We are all different; we have different shoulders, different arms, legs, and different sizes in all our parts. This is why the real luxury is sur-mesure and custom-made garments.

RP: What about prices? How can a young woman with a lower budget own such a  unique piece from a Greek designer?
DP: The prices can be much less than other international branded designers. Our main challenge is to convince and make women feel comfortable with the idea of spending their budget on something that will meet their taste, size and personality in precision. And we are very strong in offering that!

RP: But how are Greek designers perceived as brands to shop from? In the past Greeks didn’t consider it very fashionable to dress in Greek brands simply because they admired anything foreign. Has this changed nowadays?
DP: Nowadays there are no limits in what we wear. For example, you see what is in fashion next year; the international designers and Greeks in consequence keep a certain line in lengths, colors, but in a much more relaxed way where everyone expresses their own unique style. Designers see fashion through their own lens and what expresses them best; the style, the fabrics and colors. There are of course worldwide security measures, such as the «cruise collections» or the «resorts», that are created to meet a wider range of customers and to renew the collections, but still a designer’s signature is shaped through developing his/her own style.

RP: Speaking of that, do you get inspired by designers? Who are your favorites?
DP: There is never one specific designer. I have different ones I like and admire each season. I may like someone for a few seasons and someone else in another, or I may be impressed by just a few pieces. In general, I admire different elements in each one’s work, sometimes the patterns, sometimes the stitching, or the fineness. It really depends.

RP: How has the financial crisis in Greece affected you?
DP: It has not affected me because I attack! I do not surrender. In these difficult times, I fight and give it my best without any cuts or reductions.

RP: How do you vision the Greek woman’s dressing style?
DP: I have never really thought of it like that. When I design, I try to think global! My muse has no passport! But to answer your question, Greek women are open to new things and love to experiment! They dare and want to break the rules! And so do men! During a creative verve, I made some bow-ties with cuts, embroideries and lace and they all sold right away. I never expected that to happen, I couldn’t even imagine where they would wear it in Greece (laugh), but they did and that was some really interesting feedback from the customer. My challenge is to reach international customers and Runway Passport gives a great reach to such an audience and I would like to thank you very much for that. Watching designers from worldwide cultures confirms my perception that fashion definitely has no boundaries!

Showroom: Kanari 23, Kolonaki, Athens 10673, Tel: +30 2107251965
email: dimitrispetrou.dp@gmail.com web: dimitrispetrou.dp@gmail.com

Click READ MORE below to read article in GREEK

Read More