Named The Archeology of Self, Di Petsa transformed London Fashion Week into a shoreline, asking us to dig through the ground of memory, heritage, and becoming. For SS26, the runway itself was strewn with sand, which crept into the hems of gowns, clung to slick, wetted hair, and fell in tiny constellations onto the floor. Models drifted down the runway like mythical sea creatures (half-human, half-goddess) holding shell-like purses and carrying themselves as though emerging from a tide.

Di Petsa’s hallmark wet-look drapery returned in full force, yet this season it felt heavier with meaning. The body was not just celebrated, but contextualized: the vessel of life and culture. Fabric clung to skin like a second layer, then peeled away in sculptural folds that echoed ancient Greek statues and fragments of archaeological discovery. Her Grecian heritage was everywhere: mythology seemed to move through the collection like an undertow, pulling the human form toward something divine.

The show reached its height near the finale. A gown resembling an ancient toga, knotted and wrinkled across the model’s back like the waves of the Aegean. Behind the model trailed a length of white fabric (perfectly clean), refusing to be claimed by the sand that overtook the town hall floor. It was a moment of serene contrast. 

The final look was also a vision. Evening-sand tulle curved across the chest like clams, forming a kind of soft armor, while precise pleats fell down the front of the dress like temple columns. It was a garment that felt both vulnerable and monumental. A meditation on what remains after the tide has gone.

What Di Petsa offered London this season was a masterclass in construction, mythology, and mood with sand between it's toes. Theatre and self-discovery were braided into the very runway she built. Where past seasons have celebrated the raw sensuality of the body, this collection felt like a tribute to everything that nurtures it. Di Petsa asked her audience not just to look, but to remember. To dig until they uncover the parts of themselves left buried in the sand.

Words By: Anya Duncan
Images Courtesy: Purple PR