Bora Aksu

Bora Aksu was born in Turkey. He graduated from the Central Saint Martin′s School of Art and Design in London under the direction of Louise Wilson. After completed his master’s degree at his alma mater in 2002, Aksu received his first acclaim.  Quoted as "the star of the show" by broadsheets such as the Independent, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian, Aksu’s collection attracted not just the press but Domenico Dolce and Stephano Gabbana who purchased pieces as inspirational items for themselves. This same collection also caught the attention of the ARG equation group, where Aksu won a sponsorship award from them, giving him the opportunity to make his debut off-schedule catwalk show at London Fashion Week, February 2003. He founded his own brand with a sponsorship award. Aksu received the Top Shop New Generation Award and was subsequently placed on the official London Fashion Week calendar for the following season.

His Spring/Summer 04 collection drew inspiration from everyday objects such as stripy duvet covers, tea towels and granny underpants, which he reworked into entirely new, feminine and wearable shapes. The collection created such a stir that it caught the attention of leading department stores including Liberty, Selfridges and Barneys. Receiving the Top Shop New Generation Award for a second time, Aksu’s Autumn/Winter 04 collection entitled “Disciples” was a vision of nomadic but contemporary journey into fashion, where he matched complex cutting with minimal seaming and juxtapose soft and stiff fabrics with delicate details.

For his Spring/Summer 05 Living Waters collection, Aksu was presented with the Top Shop New Generation Award for the third time. With the 70’s glamour inspired and romantic collection, he defined his style in London and Tori Amos bought up the entire collection for her Bee Keeper world tour. With the support of a fourth Top Shop New Gen Award, Aksu presented his Autumn/Winter 05 Promised Land collection at London Fashion Week, prominently showing an accessories range on the catwalk. Through the collaboration with the leading London contemporary dance company, the Cathy Marston Project, Aksu was inspired by the challenges he met with designing their costumes. Exploring the idea of movement, stage presence and maintenance of beauty, he channeled them as a theme for his Spring/Summer 07 show. Taking his collection further by collaborating with Converse, Aksu fused the everyday sneaker and its sporty elements with couture techniques to produce a collection that is fluid, casual, tailored, glamorous but nevertheless complex. Working with the Artisan Armour Group, who produced items for epic films such as Troy, Alexander and King Arthur, Aksu finished his Autumn/Winter 07 collection with one-off leather and metallic sculptural body pieces. He also signed a contract with People Tree-Fair trade organization to design exclusive capsule collections to raise awareness on fair trade work shops. Currently his collections are launched not only in Turkey but also in the USA, Japan, Russia, Kuwait, Hong Kong and Ireland. In 2011, Aksu prepared a new collection for Armaggan.

Reference: boraaksu.com, londonfashionweek.co.uk, elle.com, modaturkiye.com