The Spring Summer 2020 collection is inspired by the infamous Persian princess Taj Saltaneh of the Qajar Dynasty.
In the early 20th century, she was a feminist and trailblazer for women’s rights in Iran. She was a prominent founding member of the country’s underground women’s group Women’s Freedom Association, working for equal rights for women around 1910. She secretly organized and attended underground women’s rights meetings whilst telling her family that she was attending religious sessions. She once led a women’s rights march to Parliament and was an avid supporter of Iran’s Constitution revolution.
She was a writer, a painter, an intellectual and an activist who hosted literary salons at her house once a week. She was fluent in Arabic and French and played the violin. She was the first woman in court to take off the hijab and wear western clothes. The first to write a memoir and a vocal critic of the monarchy her father and brother ruled. She blamed incompetent monarchs for many of the problems that Iran was facing at the time including poverty, the lack of education for masses and women’s rights. Hers was a lone female voice advocating for change and democracy. Her journey from a young princess to an activist inspires the Spring Summer 2020 collection, which sees opulence contrasting simplicity and has a soft, romantic feel. The juxtaposition can be seen in the mix of hard and soft textures, layered gowns and tailoring.
In a collection dedicated to Taj, Aksu creates garments that reflect these contrasts. On one side the brightest shades of coral pink, burnt orange and powder pink come alive in the form of tulle, silk and pleated organza moving freely and therefore representing princess Qajar’s flamboyant personality; on the other, serious brocades and masculine tailoring reflect her disguised and suppressed self.
The colour palette is inspired by Colombian artist Maria Berrio’s paintings and collages which bring a sense of eclectic summer breeze.
The combination of soft, feminine fabrics and structured shapes creates romantic yet strong, bold silhouettes. A mix between traditional masculinity and sophisticated femininity is also visible in the embroidered and printed dresses. The silhouettes are voluminous and rich and include long tailored cocoon coats, cropped tailored jackets, capes, shirts and skirts that function as separates. While Linda Farrow glasses add a contemporary vintage feel, Aksu also launches a capsule of handbags as part of the Spring Summer 2020 collection.
