September 21, 2023 |
After almost 4 years away from the catwalk, Ashish Gupta made a triumphant return to London Fashion Week with undoubtably the most joyous show to be held in the capital this season.
Alongside artist Linda Sterling, the pair concocted a dreamlike, surrealist sequence escape from bleak, day-to-day realities. “In a world where cultures, trends and politics ebb and flow this manifesto aims to question,” penned the designer in his show notes. Ashish has spent his two decades in the biz utilising his signature sequin garb as “bejewelled forms of protest”. On the catwalk, he envisioned an almost utopian society where different bodies lived in harmony. They came dressed in glistening tiger-print twinsets, bedazzled denim flares, silver jockstraps and fringed frocks that dripped in glass beads.
Halter neck cocktail dresses dressed-up with Sixties style prints walked alongside tie-dye caftans, boyish, striped co-ords and an iridescent sari that illustrated Ashish’s design ability in a spectacular light. The fashion industry is a much brighter place with him in it.
Photography courtesy of Ashish.
