Miracles
All images courtesy of Chris Yates
For SS21 Bora Aksu looked back to a past that so similarly reflects our present. In 1918 the war brought young women to the frontline where they forfeited privilege for public service and uniforms. It was a world that many had never experienced, and whilst it posed challenges, it gave them a new-found sense of self and a chance to experience empowerment.
“Bora Aksu’s SS21 collection explores the contrasting aesthetics of uncertainty versus decadence.”
The frontline was a harsh environment, but it served as a platform for women to explore their strength, capabilities and perseverance, but as the war came to an end, little did they know that a more deadly test was coming. As the Spanish Flu ripped through the population to devastating effect, once again women tirelessly put the people first and themselves in peril.
Bora Aksu's SS21 collection explores this time of challenges and upheaval and the contrasting aesthetics of uncertainty versus decadence. The structured lines of sterile white nurses uniforms form the inspiration for the early look of the collection, in close-fitting silhouettes that reflect the collective holding of breath as society waited for a miracle.
And then to the sigh of relief when the devastation ended, though not without huge losses. As society looked forward, they embraced their future without constraints, and with it, frivolity and decadence mirrored the sentiment. The contrasting segment of the collection embraces the alleviation and the rediscovered femininity through more fluid shapes, reflected in layered silk tulles and ruffled transparent organza in pinks and blues. At last, a chance to move away from the restrictions of the past towards a bright and auspicious future.
Bora Aksu, as always, celebrates female empowerment through timely and relevant issues and once again brings flawless beauty with it. In this time of uncertainty, it may be pertinent to reflect back and learn lessons from our past, and this collection brings hope amidst a backdrop of ethereal drama. A beautifully decadent yet edgy and modern wardrobe with which to face the future.
