Models present creations by designer Vassilios Kostetsos during a fashion show in the garden of the Numismatic Museum of Athens in Greece, July 1, 2019. Vassilios Kostetsos, one of Greece's top fashion designers in the past three decades, presented his new collection "Aphrodite de Milo" Couture 2019-2020 here on Monday evening, urging the fashion industry to bring the focus back on the real female figure, just the way the ancient Greeks conceived of beauty. (Xinhua/Lefteris Partsalis)
ATHENS, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Vassilios Kostetsos, one of Greece's top fashion designers in the past three decades, presented his new collection "Aphrodite de Milo" Couture 2019-2020 here on Monday evening, urging the fashion industry to bring the focus back on the real female figure, just the way the ancient Greeks conceived of beauty.
Aphrodite de Milo (Venus de Milo), one of the most emblematic works of ancient Greek sculpture dating back to 130-100 BC, depicts the goddess of love and beauty in Greek mythology in all her glory.
Unearthed by a peasant in the early 19th century on Milos island in the Aegean Sea, the marble statue ended up at Louvre museum in Paris, as happened with many Greek antiquities in the early days of the Greek modern state.
The late Greek actress, singer and politician Melina Mercouri, while serving as minister of culture (1981-1989), launched an international campaign for the return to Greece of the Parthenon marbles, the Aphrodite de Milo and many other antiquities.
"Aphrodite de Milo has a glow. It is time that this radiance, which was on loan to various museums abroad, returned home," Kostetsos told Xinhua, shortly before models dressed in colorful, airy, feminine creations and costumes reminiscent of ancient Greek art walked the runway in the garden of the Numismatic Museum of Athens.
Dedicated to Mercouri, the show, which also featured a presentation of Kostetsos' new perfume "Aphrodite de Milo", got a big applause from the audience.
"Melina Mercouri vowed under the sculpture of Aphrodite de Milo at Louvre Museum her return to Milos, where she belongs," the designer explained.
Kostetsos chose the garden of the Numismatic Museum to present his collection for a reason. German architect Ernst Ziller, who created numerous architectural gems in Athens and Greece at the end of the 19th century, including the Presidential Mansion, had designed this neoclassical residence. Ziller had also designed Milos island's museum, where a copy of the original statue is now on display.
On the sidelines of the show, the Greek designer also talked about today's beauty standards and how the fashion industry is becoming more inclusive.
"There is a comeback underway. Extremely anorexic women are out, at least I am one of the designers who believes so. We should return as much as we can to the real female figure and leave behind the anorexic model, which was promoted for so long," he told Xinhua.
Kostetsos, who already has many Chinese clients, also expressed his eagerness to visit China to present his work and collaborate with Chinese creators.
"It is in my plans and I hope to be able to realize them soon. It would be great to present something like this in China. It would be very interesting, because Chinese people love culture and detail so much," he said.
