In another stroke of bad/good luck, the pandemic forced Ashish to stop showing on a seasonal basis, which the designer had been doing non-stop since 2005. But that opened him up to different ways of working, too — creating, for instance, incredibly clever lookbooks in order to promote his collections (his latest with multidisciplinary duo Rottingdean Bazaar being a personal highlight of mine). He says: “Not doing a show means that you can explore other ways of working. You can work with artists, photographers, directors — you become more malleable. I’ve always loved collaborating with people, so that was a really nice opportunity. Like, working with Rottingdean Bazaar; that was hysterical. When else would I get an opportunity to do something like that?”
Why do a show now? “Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I really wanted to do a show but I also wanted to make sure that it made sense creatively and also financially. There have been lots of moving parts, and it’s been a bit of a last-minute decision — but I guess things in the universe just kind of aligned to make it possible. The British Fashion Council helped us with the venue [180 Strand is the official BFC x LFW show space] and Mac [Cosmetics], who we have partnered with many times in the past, have also been very supportive.”
The tendency to look for the silver linings also permeates his work, which he builds on three central themes: glamour, (“A word that derives from the idea of casting a spell”), sequins (“Our brains are hardwired to be attracted towards shiny surfaces, because we need water for survival”) and nightlife (“I have always been fascinated about how cities light up at night and also how they provide a refuge to minority communities”).
The collection he is showing today at 180 is titled ‘Crisis of Confidence’. “This season, I am exploring ideas around uncertainty and confidence — or a crisis of confidence,” Ashish explains. “It is impossible not to reflect the uncertainties a lot of us are feeling, the chaos of our times. Social media tells us to always be strong, to look perfect and always achieve our goals. But there is a freedom in saying we are allowed to fail.”
The thing is, it’s harder to fail when you’re so good at bouncing back.
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