PlaymoGreek: Greek Folk Costumes in Miniature Glory

It’s commonly believed that folk culture is something parochial or purely encyclopedic than belongs to museums, a flawed assumption that Z+Δ has been creatively refuting since its inception by celebrating traditional crafts and craftsmanship through contemporary fashion and design. It’s always great to come across others like us who share our passion for showcasing Greek folk culture as is the case with twenty-four-year-old Petros Kaminiotis who is on a mission to showcase the fascinating complexity and wide variety of traditional Greek costumes in a creative and modern way. What’s even more extraordinary than his young age, is the medium he’s using to accomplish his goal: Playmobil figures for which he crafts miniature outfits in incredible detail. What started as a hobby when he was five, inspired by the folk dancing classes his parents enrolled him in, has since evolved into a cultural awareness project cheekily titled PlaymoGreek.

Aiming for absolute accuracy, Petros researches every costume that he makes in depth – browsing books, looking at photographs, visiting museums and talking to experts – as well as spending days laboriously crafting each outfit down to the smallest detail. Predominantly constructed out of paper, which the self-taught designer paints with felt pens and acrylics, he has no qualms about using anything that comes in handy, from an earring clip to a fish hook, to construct the costume’s accessories and headpiece. With several exhibitions under his belt and a growing social media following, Petros has definitely been making an impact, although he still has a long way to go if he’s to depict the entirety of Greek folk costumes. Read more about Petros’ extraordinary project and passion for folk culture in the interview he recently gave to Yatzer (here).