ATHENS, July 3 (Xinhua)-- Vasileios Kostetsos, one of the most famous fashion designers in Greece in the past three decades, has staged a unique show at Estia (Home) concert hall in Nea Smyrni, a southern suburb of Athens, earlier this week.
Kostetsos' new collection under the title "Proussa Resort 2019, Passion of Fashion" had a touch of nostalgia.
Models dressed in airy creations and costumes with references to Asia Minor and Byzantium walked the runway in front of the neoclassical building before an enthralled audience.
At the forefront of a refugee crisis in the past three years, Greece embraced people fleeing warzones with solidarity, despite the acute debt crisis which brought the country at the brink of financial meltdown since 2010.
The Greek fashion industry also suffered. Many leading fashion houses went bankrupt.Faced with difficulties, creators like Kostetsos, worked harder to overcome problems through creativity and retained their optimism that better days will come.
"I do not know if the Greek fashion has overcome the crisis, but I personally try to do my best, to organize big shows so that my clients, my fans, feel that nothing has changed and Greek fashion industry can compete with foreign designers," Kostetsos told Xinhua.
His mother was an established clothes importer in Greece when Vasileios, a nine year old boy, started getting involved in the world of fashion.
After an accident with an air gun which almost caused him a big problem in the eye, he had to remain locked in the house for a while. At that time he learned to love fashion, discovering his inclination to design.
By 1990 he had launched his own label, opened his first studio in Kolonaki district in central Athens and presented his first haute couture collection with the world's major super models at the time, such as Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer.
His collections have been presented in Dusseldorf, New Delhi international fashion week, London and New York Fashion Weeks.
"I believe very much in the Greek circle, the shape the ancient Greeks called circle and indicates that everything returns and comes back, I believe this will happen again. It's just a matter of time and goodwill to actually go back to the golden age of Greek fashion," Kostetsos said.
The Greek creator is looking forward to present his clothes for the first time in China in the future, he told Xinhua, stressing how much he admires Chinese culture.
"It was amazing as always, all the shows of Vasileios Kotsetsos are great. We love his clothes very much and we wish him good luck in whatever he does," Mirella Kastrioti who watched the show with her daughter told Xinhua.
