September 23, 2025 |
Dancing in the face of adversity. The club has always been a place of refuge, for minorities, for queer people, for those who live life on the fringes. While the world seemingly crumbles around us, dancing can be a political act. Ashish knows this. His show was both joyous and defiant – “A soft and glittering fuck you” to the fascists and bigots who dominate the news headlines and feed our streets with hate. “You have to find in the saddest places, you don’t give up, you have to double-down,” said the designer backstage.
His brilliant cast, all of different ages, sexes, sexualities, danced across the catwalk, twirling and kicking in Sixties mini-dresses, tie-dye shirts, glass-beaded fringed frocks, neon shirts and Bermuda shorts in madras checks, as well as fabulously OTT frilly kaftans – most of which were in the designer’s signature sequins.
In a poem placed on each seat, the designer wrote: “I was dreamt of in London rain but I carry Delhi summer in my threads.” He has worked with his factory in India throughout his career to create his dazzling designs, speaking backstage of his frustration of people happily wearing clothes designed by workers in countries across the world but will continue to spew racist hate in their everyday lives. “Brown hands across the ocean sew these coded strands, every stitch is a tiny letter of love sent to foreign lands,” he wrote. It made for one of London’s standout moments.
Photography courtesy of Ashish.
