Post date: Sep 13, 2013 2:10:40 PM
Turkish born, British based designer Bora Aksu opens London Fashion Week with a collection focussed on his Turkish roots.
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (SEPTEMBER 13, 2013) (REUTERS) - Silk chiffon, embroidery and crochet all featured in Bora Aksu's Spring/Summer collection which he unveiled at London Fashion Week on Friday (September 13).
The Turkish born, but British-based designer opened the London Fashion Week shows, being the first designer to showcase his new collection to the awaiting fashion crowd.
This season marks 10 years of Aksu's participation in the fashion event, and he said it was an honour to kick start the shows."It's amazing actually because it also marks my tenth year, so it's my twentieth show at London Fashion Week's official schedule. It's an amazing honour and pleasure really," Aksu said backstage ahead of his show.
Childhood memories and Turkish trinkets inspired his collection, with models wearing beaded hair clips featuring the evil eye symbol.
Many people in Turkey and across the Middle Eastern region believe that wearing an evil eye symbol wards off evil and jealousy.
"The evil eye bead, we call 'Nazzar' is kind of the starting point of the collection, so the colours because it's always glass and there's that yellow and white bit in the middle that looks like an eye, it's all made in Turkey by craftsmen and artisans, and I really thought's that's such a cultural element that I grew up with all the time, it's kind of ward off the evil eye, that's what they believe in, so I wanted to kind of focus on that and build the collection around it,'' Aksu added.
Aksu's designs are sold in stores around the world, but with the global economic climate forcing many to tighten their purse strings, Aksu said his brand is still accessible to those wanting an item of luxury in their wardrobes.
"It used to be dresses selling really well, now my tops and shirts going really well, the tights selling really well," he said.
"Because I think that's something that people actually, anyone can approach, the price point is really, really low and also you get a taste of the main line collection within your budget,'' he told Reuters Television.
London Fashion Week is known for pulling in celebrities, and one celebrity spotted in the front row of the designer's show was singer Kate Nash.
"I liked it, I particularly liked the yellow and white. I'm a really like, I'm a massive Bora Aksu fan," she said, speaking on the sidelines of the catwalk, just after the show.
"I just love all the, there's so many textures and it fits my style, it's kind of doll like and there's a lot of cheeky aspects to it, and so much detail, like you know the little heart that was printed on one of the longer yellow knitted pieces, and so many layers, I just love it so much,'' she added.
Known for its verve and creativity, London continues to attract foreign names.
Last season, U.S. designer Tom Ford made his catwalk debut here and this week celebrity-favourite shoe designer Manolo Blahnik will host a presentation.
Some 58 catwalk shows for spring/summer 2014 will be held from September 13-17, including other known brands such as Mulberry, Julien Macdonald, and Matthew Williamson.