# Project Description

Bound Beauty

Aaron Kowalski

Summary

Final work

My name is Aaron Kowalski, a Fashion Design and Development student at the London College of Fashion. My work explores themes of storytelling, femininity, fantasy and historical references - with a focus on creating emotionally resonant designs that connect the past and present.

My design identity is rooted in narrative, whether its through references to historical figures like Empress Elisabeth of Austria or imagined worlds where emotion and adventure take centre stage.

My name is Aaron Kowalski, a Fashion Design and Development student at the London College of Fash...

College London College of Fashion

Course BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development

Graduation year 2025

This project draws inspiration from the life and image of Empress Elisabeth of Austria—commonly known as Empress Sisi—reimagining her legacy through a contemporary lens. Sisi’s story, marked by beauty, restraint, rebellion, and myth, becomes a foundation for exploring the tension between public image and private emotion.

Using references from historical dress, romantic symbolism, and fabric manipulation techniques such as flower smocking, the collection blends softness and structure to reflect the dualities in her character. Delicate details and ethereal silhouettes are used to evoke a sense of fantasy and longing, while also questioning how femininity has been constructed and performed throughout history. The result is a body of work that sits between the past and present — poetic, emotional, and quietly powerful.

Final work

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This project draws inspiration from the life and image of Empress Elisabeth of Austria—commonly known as Empress Sisi—reimagining her legacy through a contemporary lens. Sisi’s story, marked by beauty, restraint, rebellion, and myth, becomes a foundation for exploring the tens...

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