The Vasilis Papantoniou Foundation (VPF), celebrating its 50th anniversary, in collaboration with the Benaki Museum, presents the exhibition “DIASMOS: The Intricate Web of the Vasilis Papantoniou Foundation” at the Benaki Museum / Piraeus 138, until January 12, 2025.

The exhibition narrates the story of the Foundation, born from the life and work of costume designer and set designer Ioanna Papantoniou. The active Vasilis Papantoniou Foundation has organized some of the most significant clothing exhibitions in Greece while maintaining its permanent home at the Museum in Nafplio. At the same time, the exhibition seeks to recount historical and contemporary incidents in the fashion world, showcasing entire wardrobes of celebrities and everyday individuals, military, school, and other uniforms, period swimsuits, and contemporary costumes from significant theatrical productions.

Unique artifacts from 20th and 21st-century fashion will also be presented, including the attire of the “Karagouna,” which was the first acquisition of the collection from which everything began, as well as dresses by Issey Miyake and the Dior coat that belonged to Grace Kelly, the theatrical costume designed by Giannis Tsarouchis for Maria Callas in Medea, directed by Alexis Minotis, Paul Poiret dresses from the 1920s, and a Thracian wedding dress from the early 20th century.

As noted by the Foundation’s President, Georgia Kritikou-Samara, “the foresight and realism of Ioanna Papantoniou soon made her realize that she needed to transition from local costumes to contemporary global fashion. Today, as she states, our strong suit is the costume collections, wedding dresses, and wardrobes through which the personality of each individual is highlighted. She acknowledges that we are at the forefront of this across Europe.”

The exhibition itself is “filled with symbolism, a school of thought,” where one can see the gradual transition from local costumes and the clothing habits of traditional communities to contemporary global fashion. “You will see how today’s fashion inspires modern Greek and foreign designers, how craftsmanship can combine tradition with innovation and creativity. You will see dolls dressed in local costumes, faithfully reflecting proportions and traditional patterns. You will see how 98 books published by the Vasilis Papantoniou Foundation become accessible to the research community and anyone else interested, with the help of artificial intelligence, showcasing the value of repurposing, repairing, reusing, and recycling.”

At the same time, through the exhibition and its second part, the social, political, and historical dimensions of clothing unfold, along with the commercial, technological, and environmental aspects. The exhibits narrate the transition from cottage industries to fast fashion and from wool to rayon. The exhibition also presents how garments become symbols—national, social, and movement symbols, as well as symbols of oppression and emancipation—and how entire narratives have been built around a piece of clothing.