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One of the most famous names in Greek fashion, who managed to combine ancient Greek royalty with practicality of modern times for decades, was found dead at his home in the central Athens district of Kolonaki. Michalis Aslanis was a famous brand not only in Greece - his models decorated haute couture shows in Paris, Milan, Rome, Moscow, Istanbul, Cyprus.

According to initial information of the police, he committed suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills. The police received a phone call in the early afternoon and after an order of the prosecutor entered the designer’s house.

In recent months, Michalis Aslanis had publicly complained about being robbed by two women, who had dealt with his financial situation for decades. As he admitted for Espresso magazine, the money he paid in social security contributions to the IKA, or to the tax authorities and repayment of loans to banks, was taken by these ladies without his knowledge. In this way, his debts had accumulated for many years and at some point they had become irredeemable.

Some time ago, a friend of his revealed the truth. "If he had done it earlier, maybe there could have been a chance for him to survive," said Aslanis in the same interview. Back then, the designer said that he feared for his life because these ladies’ lawyers bothered him on the phone, blackmailed him for more money and threatened him.

Michalis Aslanis was born in Athens, into a family with origins in Asia Minor. In Athens, he graduated with a degree in design and in 1974 began his career in fashion. Besides clothing, home items, bathroom accessories, umbrellas and underwear are also branded with his name. He also designed the uniforms of employees in the Athens subway, as well as those of the International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos".

A big fashion show was scheduled on 18 October which should have celebrated the 40-year career of probably the finest Greek designer. Since the beginning of the week, journalists had been persistently seeking to interview him for the upcoming show, but the artist did not answer their calls. They sought assistance from an employee at his company, who sent someone to look for him at his home. He found him dead.