LFW AW24: Di Petsa

In a symphony of divine elegance and sacred reverence, the runway becomes a sanctuary, a temple of couture, as DI PETSA unveils its ethereal AW24 collection titled "The Body as Prayer." At the heart of this collection lies an exploration of the divine essence of Goddess Venus, a celebration of the harmonious fusion of divine beauty and divine sexuality, transcending through the act of dressing into a profound form of worship for the body itself.

As the curtains rise, the atmosphere is imbued with an aura of mysticism, a palpable energy that courses through the sacred space. Live music resonates from the strings of the Guzheng, played by Flora Yin Wong, while Dimitra Petsa, the visionary designer, recites poetry, invoking ancient spirits and timeless muses. The air is purified with the cleansing tones of bells and the sweet fragrance of incense, setting the stage for a transformative journey through the realms of femininity and spirituality.

The procession begins, a ceremonial homage to the divine feminine, as models grace the runway, embodying archetypes drawn from ancient Greek mythology and early Christianity. The Virgin Mary, The Madonna, The Angel, The Temptress—all converge in a mesmerising display of grace and power, their presence evoking a sense of awe and reverence.

The first revelation comes in the form of the White Wetlook Goddess Venus Dress, a masterpiece adorned with glistening clear quartz crystals and billowing off-shoulder sleeves that evoke the celestial majesty of its namesake. Each step, each movement, is a prayer in motion, an ode to the sacredness of adornment and self-love.

The journey continues with a palette of ethereal whites and milky tones, each garment a testament to the divine within, symbolising the miracle of creation, the nurturing embrace of motherhood enveloping the wearer in a cocoon of pure love and light.

But it is perhaps the up-cycled coat that truly embodies the spirit of rebirth and renewal, its fluid lines and dreamlike textures reminiscent of warmth and security. Crafted from recycled cotton offcuts, each stitch is a prayer for sustainability, a testament to the transformative power of conscious creation.

As the procession unfolds, crochet looks emerge, handcrafted to create intricate patterns across the body, adorned with pom pom flowers that bloom like offerings to the goddesses. Headwear adorned with beads, pearls, and seashells completes the ensemble, a crown of divine adornment fit for a goddess.

Yet it is in the culmination of the performance that the true essence of "The Body as Prayer" is revealed—a sacred union of flesh and fabric, of spirit and form. Two models, bare and unadorned, meet in the centre of the runway, their bodies merging in a tender embrace. As one steps inside the other's dress, two souls become one, the birth of our inner child—a moment of pure, unbridled divinity.

In "The Body as Prayer," DI PETSA invites us to rediscover the sacredness of self-expression, to embrace the transformative power of adornment, and to honour the divine within each and every one of us. For in the act of dressing and undressing, we are not merely adorning the body—we are affirming our own divinity, our own inherent worthiness, and our own capacity for transcendence.