“Once you’ve been in space, you appreciate how fragile the Earth is.” – Valentina Tereshkova
For Autumn Winter 2019/20 Bora Aksu draws inspiration from Valentina Tereshkova – the first woman to go into space.
The designer presented his collection at London fashion Week, created garments that reflect Valentina’s space trip drawing on the contrasts of her early life growing up in a small village. Inspired by her determination in standing against traditional restrictions Aksu explored new silhouettes, materials and detailing with a colour palette to complement the mood; the mutual and soft pastel palette creates almost a mystical feel while hues of lilac, purple, pink and green are paired with quieter shades of white, cream, soft blue.
Weightlessness is key, and organza and tulle fabrics appear ethereal in texture, aiming to create garments that react to microgravity in a new and completely different way. The combination of soft feminine fabrics and structured shapes add a resounding sense of romance to the strong, bold silhouettes. The astronaut-aesthetic manifests itself in coats, boxed jackets and puffer jackets.
Layering is used as a tool to create interesting textures without adding heaviness. To create this layering effect, Aksu designed very specific embroideries on velvets, tulles and lace.
Hand embroidered and knitted head pieces are created by Liria Pristine.
Pearl jewellery and avant-garde sunglasses are created by Halo and Co, inspired by the Space Age.
“I believe a woman should always remain a woman and nothing feminine should be alien to her. At the same time, I strongly feel that no work done by a woman, can enter into conflict with her ancient ‘wonderful mission’, to love, to be loved.” – Valentina Tereshkova 1970
