Henrikos Petilon: Arrests, cocaine and Studio 54 — the turbulent life of the Greek model
Henrikos Petilon was released after his arrest in a tax evasion ring case in Thessaloniki. Newmoney.gr highlights his life — from the catwalks to prison.
From the Versace catwalks to the dock in Thessaloniki
With white hair now and worn down, but with the same face that enchanted some of the most famous women of his era, Henrikos Petilon was released after his arrest in a tax evasion ring case in Thessaloniki. "I am not a straw man, I am a human being," he declared shortly after his release from custody, according to newmoney.gr.
This latest ordeal comes to be added to a series of arrests, imprisonments and transgressions that marked the life of one of the most recognisable men in Greek lifestyle. The title of his autobiography — "Who would have believed it, Henrikos..." — proved to be, as newmoney.gr notes, rather prophetic.
Adolescence in Kifissia and the first Vogue
Petilon was just 15 years old when he began leaving Kifissia behind for Kolonaki, abandoning school and immersing himself in a world of nightlife entertainment. His biography, signed by Sofia Stekoulea and published by "White Page" editions, captures from the first pages this need: "I wanted to feel everything around me."
His first serious relationship came with a woman seven years his senior. After two years he ended it himself: "I wanted more, something else." Mykonos became his second home — summer after summer, with a crowd from Kolonaki, counting tourists in the Vengera bar.
In the mid-1970s, photographer Kalliopi spotted him on the island and proposed a photoshoot for Italian Vogue. "The conversation just happened between us and she just made me an offer," he says in his biography. As soon as the issue came out, agencies in Greece rushed to approach him.
Versace, Boss and 7,000,000 drachmas for a catwalk appearance
The summer of 1979 found Petilon in Mykonos in the company of Gianni Versace. "I want you," the Italian designer told him, and a proposal from Hugo Boss followed. At 18 years old, he was already earning 7,000,000 drachmas for a single catwalk appearance. His life became, as he writes, "a suitcase that empties in expensive hotels."
In the midst of this glamour appeared what he calls the "permanent lover" that would not let him go for years: cocaine. "With substances I sought to numb my mind, my body, my inner voice," he explains. In one of his darkest moments, on a winter's night he sold his shoes for 3,000 drachmas to secure his fix.
At Studio 54's table with half of Hollywood
The pinnacle came through his acquaintance with Steve Rubell, owner of Studio 54, whom Petilon met in Mykonos. Rubell invited him to New York. Outside the club, hundreds of people were cramming for a place — the Greek model went straight in.
"I stood and looked at the vast space. Coke was falling from the ceiling," Petilon recounts. At Rubell's table he found himself alongside Andy Warhol, Calvin Klein, Grace Jones, Elizabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger, Jack Nicholson, Richard Gere, Sylvester Stallone and Diana Ross. Nights that ended at dawn, in a world that few knew from the inside.
Ursula Andress, Stephanie of Monaco and two marriages
Petilon's fame surpassed Greek borders during the 1980s. In his biography he recalls Ursula Andress weeping at his feet when he left her, and Stephanie of Monaco circulating him through the most chic hangouts. Two marriages followed, many travels and the family villa in Gstaad, where he found time to spend between fashion shows and parties.
His autobiography, written in the first person through the editorial care of Stekoulea, presents a man who continually sought intensity: "My only concerns? Which nightclubs will I go to? Which islands will I travel to? Which woman will I lie down with?"
Rehabilitation, return and new entanglements
His cocaine addiction eventually subsided after a long battle with rehabilitation — one that, as he notes, essentially did not leave him "free". However, legal troubles did not stop. The tax evasion case in Thessaloniki from which he was recently released constitutes yet another chapter in a life that, as he has always maintained, sought to live fully — with whatever that entailed.
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)