LFW SS26: Bora Aksu embraces ‘fragile fashion’ with broken doll-inspired collection

The setting of Bora Aksu's SS26 show - a pathway framed by rose bushes rather than a LED-lit catwalk - was the first indication that this would be far from a typical runway presentation.

What followed was a procession of cracked-doll-like models in bonnets, harlequin tights and lace caps, pulling together both nursery innocence and adult melancholy.

Models backstage at the Bora Aksu show (Jeff Moore/PA)

Aksu’s starting point was his own archive of broken porcelain dolls. "Broken dolls remind me that beauty does not lie in perfection but in the traces of love, time, and survival," he said before the show.

"Through this collection, I wanted to create a world where flaws and cracks are celebrated not as weakness, but as strength and beauty."

That idea became the thread for this collection, which transformed fragility into power.

Models on the catwalk at the Bora Aksu show at St Paul’s Church, London (Jeff Moore/PA)

Slimline dresses were trimmed with lace; butterflies and flowers hand-embroidered on bodices; gingham softened into sheer overlays.

Some looks – like a monochrome checked dress layered over black lace tights and harlequin diamonds – evoked Aksu’s signature Victoriana influence.

Others were almost regal: a marigold-yellow gown with balloon sleeves and cascading ruffles glowed in the sunlight; a pink scalloped dress shimmered with tiny reflective discs at the hem; a blood-red dress trailed with loose threads and appliquéd hearts.

Models on the catwalk at the Bora Aksu show at St Paul’s Church, London (Jeff Moore/PA)

Aksu also built his concept into the fabrics themselves. The designer sourced deadstock lace from small manufacturers in Istanbul to revive them into diaphanous dresses.

Lace-trimmed cottons, faded taffetas and layers of pastel tulle were combined with sheer organza and silks, the textiles recalling time-worn frocks but reworked with contemporary asymmetry, cut-outs and transparency.

Models on the catwalk at the Bora Aksu show at St Paul’s Church, London (Jeff Moore/PA)

Even the headwear, which consisted of lace caps, kerchiefs and little crowns, was part of a mood that celebrated imperfection.

The palette of the collection was fittingly fragile as well. Colours unfolded like faded keepsakes: powder pinks, soft corals, peaches and powder blues anchored by ghostly whites, shadowy blacks and touches of midnight navy.

What could have been twee was instead unsettlingly modern.

A model backstage at the Bora Aksu show at St Paul’s Church, London (Jeff Moore/PA)

The cracked edges and raw seams recalled Aksu’s theme of broken porcelain, but also mirrored the current cultural state of mind: audiences are ready to move beyond polished, Instagram-perfect fashion into something more emotional, even a bit uncanny.

This love letter to fragility redefined resilience within imperfection, and perhaps it was a hint that "fragile fashion" could be the next big trend.