Maria Høgh Heilmann decided to honor Aiayu’s “20 laps” by making her debut on the track. At the Nils Stærk Gallery, her guests witnessed a relaxed and tranquil movement. The brand’s designs are not self-evident, and this design feels simple rather than minimal, as they seem to have innate warmth and aiayu (which means the soul is in Amymaran, the language of the indigenous people of Bolivia).
For twenty years, Aiayu’s merchandise was made in Bolivia, and the brand story began in 2005, as well as in India, Mongolia, Nepal and Europe. In South America, Neil Barrett’s alum Heilmann studied fashion design and Italian knitted clothing in Denmark, and was inspired to find a new direction for fashion. “It has been a lot of years, but I want to work on my hands again to feel the original beauty of the natural materials and to get closer to people who know it well,” she noted.
The spring collection includes crispy cotton shirts, linen shorts, sweaters wrapped around scarves (such as scarves) and long tanks layered on T-shirt dresses. On the surface, there is no fundamental point in either, however, the perfect simplicity and constraints of blue sweaters and pants, for example, the shade of blue requires commitment and confidence. Perhaps it is easy to portray these clothes in a modern interior that is not neat and full of light, as they are designed for life and are long journeys.
