Background
Aksha Fernandez grew up in India, studied shoe design in Italy, married in Sweden and now lives/works in London.
From an early age creativity and design became her passion. Ordinary life wasn't always sufficiently inspiring, so she let herself dream and imagine a different world, much like Alice in wonderland.
Initially, she studied and worked as an architect in India. However, Aksha is very personal about her design, and architecture didn't quite give her the freedom to fully explore her creative ideas.
In 2007, Aksha decided to venture to Milan, Italy, where she took her MA in Accessories Design. In Milan she also learned about Italian craftsmanship and traditions in shoe making, which later influenced her choice of Italy to produce her own shoes.
After her time in Italy, Aksha moved to London where she discovered a great creative community of young designers and sources of inspiration. Although the London weather could be grey and gloomy, the people and the city provided new dreams and creative ideas.
Her style is very personal, explorative and seeks to inspire the everyday woman to venture beyond her daily life. She takes a lot of inspiration both from nature and architecture.
Inside of every woman, there is a little bit of an "Alice" fantasy, where she can live and explore her own world, where she can break free from her monotonous life and follow her own dreams and ideas.
Aksha is trying to capture this free spirit, of the lost traveller in life, discovering things along her journey. Her shoe design are an interpretation of this discovery, and aim to provoke women everywhere to explore their own "Alice".
Inspiration
The lovely English weather is what I have contemplated the most, but strangely the "grayness" gets subconsciously reflected in my work! This last autumn of 2010, is when this story began, when the leaves crackle and wither to the ground. The brilliant colours fade into these melancholic hues of pastels. The dry, crunchiness sound in the air has this decadent atmosphere but still evokes an indulgence of bliss and romance.
How does it make you feel?
Nostalgic.
