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For the Bora Aksu Autumn/Winter ’22 collection it’s all about the richness of the 14th century Renaissance. Taking inspiration from prolific poet Christine de Pizan, not only was she known as the author at the court of King Charles VI of France, but also for penning feminist pieces of literature and advocating women’s rights — a revolutionary of the 1300’s.
Bora’s interpretation of this heroine results in ethereal silhouettes, cue sweeping dresses crafted from his signature fabrics of taffeta and tulle, that sit alongside bold structural pieces. Soft hues are contrasted against navy and blacks, and then there’s detailing in the form of deep blue thread that runs through the entire collection in ode to the most famous portrait of de Pizan that shows her wearing a flowing gown of the deepest blue.
London-based Bora tells us what we need to know about his latest demi-couture collection.
The Bora Aksu muse: The muse behind any collection is so important for me as I always start building a collection around a character, storytelling is a big part of the Bora Aksu brand. For AW22 I was inspired by the peerless life and achievements of medieval writer and historiographer Christine de Pisan who advocated for women’s equality. Her works, considered to be some of the earliest feminist writings, include poetry, novels, biography, and autobiography, as well as literary and political commentary. De Pisan became the first woman in France, and possibly Europe, to earn a living solely by writing. I was fascinated by her timeless approach and wanted to bring her back into the now .
The show venue: Fashion shows are the perfect tools to create a visual language. The show venues each season have such an important role to create the vision I’m trying to portray through my collections.
London is so known for its creativity, freedom, arts and individuality. St James The Less Church in Pimlico has such unique architecture and the Gothic Revival signature that is portrayed throughout the AW22 collection. It was the first ever fashion show hosted in the church and filling the main hall with live music, with the beauty of this collection and the energy of a show felt very special and emotional.
Recycled fabrics: I feel like we are in a time that we all need to be more considerate and less consuming . As part of the collection’s journey, I also searched for fabrics that were not newly produced or polished, instead I asked to see the leftover fabrics and fabrics stuck in the back rooms of manufacturers due to their discoloring, or aged appearance . These once rejected fabrics became the main fabrics in the most elaborate garments . Instead of hiding their defects I displayed them in their full glory in the collection showing that beauty does come in many forms.
Music: German-Brazilian musician, visual artist, and actor, Gloria De Oliveira came from Berlin to perform at the AW22 show. Her truly spellbinding and romantic voice perfectly set the tone for a uniquely haunting performance during our catwalk show at St James The Less Church.
Humour: One of the most interesting parts of the research process for any collection is to find elements that you never knew before and how they can develop and become key inspiration points for a collections journey. A key detail of this collection is something I took direct inspiration from the most famous portrait of de Pizan herself. The painting depicts the author deep in thought at her writing table accompanied by her beloved dog and wearing a flowing gown of deepest blue. This blue is a thread running throughout the entire collection, tying together the taffeta gowns, cropped jackets and bringing the voluminous and rich Renaissance style to life in the 21st Century. De Pizan’s dog appears as a motif through the collection.
See more on boraaksu.com.
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