A collection of six powerful expressive looks, in which dusty pinks and sultry silver flower and flow from stark monochrome, liberating from the laced-up repression of Dark Daze the dynamic contrasts of female power, authority, sexuality and serenity.

Afira expresses release, sensuality and the courage to be truly, wholly woman, with all the complexities and pleasures that implies. Flowing, draped garments are stimulated by the Goddess of antiquity, while more sharp, structured styles simulate the City woman, the athlete, contemporary translations of the superwoman myth. She is a self-creating work of art, paradoxical, powerful and compellingly contradictory. Look at the hard cut tailored edges to see, with a turn of the head or a swivel of the hips, the revealing glimpses of vulnerability, sensuality and softness, celebrating the passion and playfulness of womanhood.

Afira has produced a vibrant range of looks in which fine fabrics, refined stitching and exquisite tailoring, employing a restrained but powerful palette, create a vision that is both classic and contemporary.

Using free-flowing irridescent drapes, ruches and folds, chiffon cascades, coutured rosettes of silver silk, a billowing translucent cape, Afira emphasises a dynamic liberation of energy bursting outwards from the female form. In contrast, sharper, harder looks, pencilled leather, knife-edged tailoring in fine wool, armoured pleating, athletic leather panelling, assert that form in shapes which fit the demands made on it. The tension in this collision of femininity and form explodes in sudden sensual surprises – diaphanous chiffon panels, layers of silken powermesh, shocking cropping, a tailored business suit fragments into a slinky skirt of draped folds. The collection represents a vivacious mating of classic fine couture with surreal explosions of wit and eroticism.

Photography: Peter Ashworth |
Model: Elina Mitrofanova at Profile | Styling: Afira, Rachel Farndon | Hair & Makeup: Hannah Dolan |
Jewellery: Sarah Herriot | Words: Vincent O’Connell | Design: Robert Agasucci