Di Petsa’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, unveiled at London Fashion Week, marked a defining chapter in the designer’s evolution, both personal and professional. Titled The Excavation of Self, the show translated themes of love, memory, and mythology into a wardrobe that balanced theatrical storytelling with newfound commercial clarity.

Staged at Vision Hall, King’s Cross, a milestone debut following four years under the New Gen program, the presentation unfolded against a striking set of sand, rock, and papier-mâché relics. The mise-en-scène evoked an ancient temple, with Petsa’s emblematic trident-cross echoing her Greek heritage and childhood encounters with faith, history, and myth. This archaeological mood framed the collection as an excavation of identity, reclaiming narratives often filtered through Western lenses.

While Petsa’s signature wet-look dresses and bridal pieces resurfaced, the designer broadened her vocabulary to embrace wearability. T-shirts emblazoned with declarations like Fragments of Aphrodite and Angel of Athens introduced a playful accessibility, as did sarongs and seashell-printed minis. Accessories expanded her world further: straw beach bags hung with silver votives and wire-handled evening clutches offered both utility and symbolism.

Yet the collection never veered into simplicity. The designer reimagined her cult “masturbation pants” as quartz-embroidered khakis with Lara Croft energy, pairing them with octopus-like organza minis and nostalgic baseball caps weathered as though unearthed from a shoreline. The tension between fantasy and function remained her signature, with garments rooted in Greek mythology yet styled for contemporary life.

By stepping away from the support of New Gen, Petsa signaled both independence and maturity. The Spring/Summer 2026 collection was not just a story of garments but of growth, where intimate narrative and cultural homage coexist with a sharpened focus on wearability. Romantic, resourceful, and defiantly modern, it suggested that Di Petsa’s excavation of self may also be the blueprint for her future.