When I was growing up, there werent many black celebrities who had their natural hair out, says Priya Ahluwalia. She felt that only Eurocentric ideals of beauty were promoted, and Ahluwalias own identity was somehow not regarded as valid.
Now part of a new vanguard of British designers shaking up the fashion industry, Ahluwalia frames her work around her British, Nigerian and Indian heritage, using her collections to explore and celebrate her diverse upbringing. For spring/summer 2022, she has examined the culture of black and brown hair.
Black hair is an amazing example of artistry, tradition and beauty, says Ahluwalia. With my spring/summer 2022 collection, I wanted to show the beauty of black hair, to flip the narrative, and progress multifaceted representation of Afro-Caribbean and South Asian culture and people in general, she says.
For spring/summer 2022, Priya Alhuwalia has examined the culture of black and brown hair. Photo: Alhuwalia
To accompany the new collection, Ahluwalia has made a short film called Parts of Me. Directed by Akinola Davies Jr, it is a story of family bonds, and showcases several styles of black and brown hair.
The aim is to normalise them in the US, for example, sporting certain traditional hair styles, including locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots and Afros, is still considered legitimate grounds for non-promotion in some corporate jobs.
Last month, the US House of Representatives voted to pass the Crown (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act, a bill that seeks to ban race-based hair discrimination in employment. The Biden administration released a statement expressing support for the act, saying: The president believes that no person should be denied the ability to obtain a job, succeed in school or the workplace, secure housing, or otherwise exercise their rights based on a hair texture or hairstyle.
Speaking about natural, non-chemically treated hair, Ahluwalia says: It is often used as the basis of discrimination, and I think its important to amplify these conversations to show how special it is and how much respect it deserves.
Fusing the vibrant colours and patterning of Nigeria with the extraordinary handwork skills of India, Alhuwalia is creating a new lexicon for British menswear. Photo Alhuwalia
Since launching her namesake label in 2018, fresh from finishing a masters in menswear at the University of Westminster, Ahluwalia has been pushing the boundaries of what menswear can be. Fusing the vibrant colours and patterning of Nigeria with the extraordinary handwork skills of India, she is creating a new lexicon for British menswear.
Despite being such a young label, Ahluwalias list of achievements is already impressive. Only months after graduating, she picked up the 2019 H&M Design Award, which supports outstanding graduates.
In January 2019, she made her debut at Paris Fashion Week, with an autumn/winter menswear collection. That same season, she collaborated with Adidas Maker Lab and, a few months later, showed at Arise Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria, and was chosen by the British Fashion Councils Newgen initiative, in support of her spring/summer 2020 mens collection.
In November 2019, she launched a 10-piece capsule collection with Browns of London and by March 2020, had been included on the Forbes 30 under 30 European Arts and Culture list. In April, she was named as one of the joint winners of the LVMH Prize 2020, and was then hand-picked by Alessandro Michele at Gucci to contribute a short film to GucciFest, with her project Joy launching in November.
The designer has also moved into womenswear. Photo: Alhuwalia
I think my heritage, narrative and perspective on design offers something new to the industry. I am really interested in the clothes people wear in India, Nigeria and England, and I like the nuances between them all. While they have similarities, each country has its own vibe, she says.
For spring/summer, Ahluwalia has created a co-ed collection with a strong 1970s undertone. Retro tracksuits are reimagined and are now patchworked from circular pieces, to create curved lines that wrap around the body. Knitwear also arrives as patchworked slip dresses, and even denim seems to be cut on the round. Tops and jackets are patterned to mimic hair braids and dresses are emblazoned with bold patterns, sometimes with added embroidery.
Most importantly, each piece is different to the next, something that is vital for Ahluwalia. In both the countries where I am from India and Nigeria you have a local tailor who tailors your outfit, whether its for a party or for life or whatever, and I think what is interesting about that is that everyone can be quite unique. My brand is giving that to people.
With the patchwork pieces I create, for example, none of them are the same. I am speaking to that need for individuality and having something that is unique, so you are more likely to treasure it.
Priya Ahluwalia was the 2021 recipient of theThe Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. Courtesy British Fashion Council
Part of that approach is the companys exclusive use of deadstock surplus fabric left over from previous seasons by fashion manufacturers. We work with deadstock materials to repurpose the old into new, exciting clothing, which not only finds new life for these materials, but also eliminates waste.
For Ahluwalia, this approach is the only credible route to take. I believe that I can be responsible with business, but still create desirable clothes that are fun and interesting to wear.
This focus on sustainability has already earned the label The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, but it is more than a token gesture, Ahluwalia says. I have done a lot of research and looked into the recycling industry, so I have seen the reality of what we as humans are doing to destroy the planet. Once you have seen something like that, there isnt any way you can design without that in mind.
This commitment to repurposing deadstock opened up new possibilities for Ahluwalia last year. This included an expansion into womenswear, via a collaboration with Danish brand Ganni, on a capsule collection made from leftover fabrics. I had always known I wanted to go into womenswear, and ever since my first show, lots of people had been asking me about it. Having the support of the Ganni collaboration allowed me to do so.
Now a fixture of the brand, womenswear is instinctual for the designer. I love to design for women I actually insert myself into the design process a lot. Thinking about what my friends and I wear, and what we would want to wear to certain occasions, for example, on a date or to the club.
Ahluwalia presented its autumn/winter 2022 fashion show on the second day of London Fashion Week. AFP
Last year, Ahluwalia also won the British Fashion Council / GQ Menswear Designer Fund, which came with 150,000 ($197,960) of funding, and the designer was invited to rework Mulberrys classic Portobello tote for the brands 50th anniversary.
When Mulberry contacted her about the project, Ahluwalia jumped at the chance. Mulberry is such an iconic brand, one that I have memories of from my childhood, ever since I used to borrow my mums bag, so it was an opportunity to collaborate with a brand that is very meaningful to me.
True to form, the new bags are all made from repurposed leather scraps from Mulberrys factory. While such thinking is second nature for the designer, it is still something of a revelation for the wider industry.
As she helps redraw how fashion operates, Ahluwalia could be forgiven for crowing about her impact, yet she remains remarkable grounded. There have been so many highlights and Im so lucky to have been on such an extraordinary journey.
Updated: May 04, 2022, 1:20 PM
Excerpt from:
The Anglo-Indian-Nigerian designer at the vanguard of British fashion - The National
- 7 Reasons to Retire and Relocate When Savings Fall Short ... - ThinkAdvisor - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Strive Asset Management vs. Engine No. 1: How Did the Activists ... - Morningstar - September 21st, 2023 [September 21st, 2023]
- New Taskforce to build UK nuclear skills - GOV.UK - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- National Bank of Canada FI Has $16.22 Million Position in ... - Defense World - June 26th, 2023 [June 26th, 2023]
- RIT part of National Science Foundation grant to help spur next ... - Rochester Institute of Technology - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- 2023 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Regional Awards - U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- P&I wins ASBPE national gold award for managers microsite - Pensions & Investments - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- The National - January 30th, 2023 [January 30th, 2023]
- Dimon Highlights Need For More Oil And Gas Investment As Vanguard Bails On ESG Group - Forbes - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- About Us | National Vanguard - November 19th, 2022 [November 19th, 2022]
- Vanguard News Network - October 11th, 2022 [October 11th, 2022]
- Retirement Clearinghouse Announces Auto-Portability Network with Fidelity, Vanguard and Alight | PLANSPONSOR - PLANSPONSOR - October 11th, 2022 [October 11th, 2022]
- Abenaa Jones named Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor - Pennsylvania State University - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- City of Detroit, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, join the Black Theatre Network (BTN) to host Broadway Comes Home to Detroit, a... - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
- California Senate Votes to Keep Legalized Slavery in its Prisons - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- Schneider National (NYSE:SNDR) Now Covered by Analysts at Credit Suisse Group - Defense World - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- Introducing the Truckstop.com Partner Marketplace: A Comprehensive Transportation and Logistics Ecosystem Empowering the Freight Community - Yahoo... - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- A Pilgrimage to the Birthplace of the Modern Womens Rights Movement - AFAR Media - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- White Child Adopted by Black Reality TV Star Beaten to Death - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- National Car Rental - Wikipedia - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Down 15% in 2022, is it time to jump on Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF? - The Motley Fool Australia - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- LIVE BLOG: 2022 Corps at the Crest - San Diego - FloMarching - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Greater Sacramento Attends Bio International Convention in San Diego - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Vanguard International Semiconductor : VIS and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Cofound Intelligent Manufacturing and Management Laboratory -... - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- The Shadow Of June 12 - The Left and Nigeria's Democratic Revolution, By Baba Aye - SaharaReporters.com - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Yolo County Honors Juneteenth with Celebration - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Commentary: Why San Francisco May Not Be the Best Test Case for Progressivism - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- As tennis fans gather Wimbledon worries expansion won't get over the line - The National - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Vanguard Charitable survey: More than 1 in 3 American donors gave half or more of their charitable contributions to disaster relief efforts in the... - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- National Grid warns on cost-of-living challenges after strong profit (NYSE:NGG) - Seeking Alpha - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Is it a good time to buy the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF? - The Motley Fool Australia - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Student Opinion: The Biden Administration and Cable Companies Working Together to Bring Internet to Millions of Households - The Peoples Vanguard of... - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- THE POWER OF LEADERSHIP - THISDAY Newspapers - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Vanguard may be shorting much vaunted 'owners' of its low-cost index funds as it upshifts to more Wall Street-style exec-comp tactics to thwart... - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Opinion | BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street Control a Piece of Nearly Everything - The New York Times - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Somalis receive explosive threat reduction training | Shephard - Shephard News - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- JV Article: Platinum Group Metals is at the vanguard of next generation lithium-ion batteries - The Northern Miner - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Neo-Nazi Alex Davies guilty of belonging to banned terror group National Action - Tell MAMA - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Firearm-Related Homicides Reach an Unprecedented Level in the 21st Century - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Satellites, the Space Race, and Supercomputing: How NASA Goddard's Beowulf Cluster Computer Became an Award-Winning Space Technology - NASA (.gov) - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Vanguard may be shorting much vaunted 'owners' of its low-cost index funds as it shifts to Wall Street-style exec-comp tactics to thwart competitors... - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- Senate Democrats Fail to Codify Abortion Rights; Don't Have Votes to Overcome Filibuster Dem Manchin Votes with GOP - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- The School Buzz: Vanguard rocketry team competing for national title - KRDO - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- Candidate for Yolo County District Attorney Cynthia Rodriguez Announced Her Growing List of Endorsements in a Press Release on Thursday - The Peoples... - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- Commentary: Trends Are Pushing Tech, Housing Toward Sacramento Region - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- UK Government announces 2 billion investment into nuclear submarines - The National - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- Workers grapple with new stresses as they return to office - Tampa Bay Times - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- Who is Ib Kamara, the new Off-White art director to fill Virgil Abloh's shoes? - The National - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- Vanguard Lions Defeat Statesmen To End The Year - Victory Sports Network - April 15th, 2022 [April 15th, 2022]
- Other days - Arkansas Online - April 15th, 2022 [April 15th, 2022]
- Democrats are in danger of losing three congressional strongholds in South Texas - Standard-Times - April 15th, 2022 [April 15th, 2022]
- Remembering the WNBA's Portland Fire - Vanguard - Psuvanguard.com - April 13th, 2022 [April 13th, 2022]
- Honoring the life of Amara Marluke - Vanguard - Psuvanguard.com - April 13th, 2022 [April 13th, 2022]
- The grim outlook of owning and renting - Vanguard - Psuvanguard.com - April 13th, 2022 [April 13th, 2022]
- 2022 NAIA Women's Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index Week 3 - U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association - April 13th, 2022 [April 13th, 2022]
- ECOWAS and Nigeria Agree on a Roadmap to Institutionalise a Government and Society Wide Approach - African Business - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- LA Treasurer joins other states in divesting Russian investments - KATC News - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- How the US and Europe helped Ukraine prep for insurgency - ArmyTimes.com - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- A Trailblazing Engineer Says Invention Is in Everything I Do - Tufts Now - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- Russias Invasion of Ukraine and Implications for the Korean Peninsula - Council on Foreign Relations - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- Vanguard University saying goodbye to the Pit - Los Angeles Times - January 14th, 2022 [January 14th, 2022]
- Energy Ended Up as a Good Bet Last Year. But Now What? - The New York Times - January 14th, 2022 [January 14th, 2022]
- Kensington Vanguard National Land Services - December 19th, 2021 [December 19th, 2021]
- Barry Harris, Pianist and Devoted Scholar of Bebop, Dies at 91 - The New York Times - December 10th, 2021 [December 10th, 2021]
- From Our Archives: a Profile of Bob Dole, Once the Senate's "Funniest Member" - Washingtonian - December 7th, 2021 [December 7th, 2021]
- National Auto Care on acquisition spree amid F&I consolidation - Automotive News - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- A decade of marketisation has left lecturers with no choice but to strike - The Guardian - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- A New Vanguard Is Reshaping the Art World - HarpersBAZAAR.com - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- Opinion | The Trump Conspiracy Is Hiding in Plain Sight - The New York Times - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- The forgotten importance of the War of Jenkins' Ear - The Economist - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- What Conservative Critics of Higher Education Share - The Atlantic - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- The Unite the Right trial is exposing the chasm between who plans White nationalism's battles and who does the fighting - ABC17News.com - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Tordue Salem: Journalists ask National Assembly to order independent inquiry into death of missing reporter - Premium Times - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Abu Dhabi to Welcome Two New Museums in Addition to Guggenheim and Zayed - Artforum - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Gauteng government at the vanguard of SAs green economy plans - Business Day - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- 25 years of school and family connections | Hub - The Hub at Johns Hopkins - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- Opinion: Organized crime is a top driver of global deforestation and climate change - Houston Chronicle - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- Letters to the editor: Lend a hand to these family caregivers - Austin American-Statesman - November 15th, 2021 [November 15th, 2021]
- University of Chicago to award four honorary degrees at 2022 Convocation - UChicago News - November 9th, 2021 [November 9th, 2021]
- Review of Misfire by Tim Mak: How the Wheels Came Off at the NRA - The New Republic - November 9th, 2021 [November 9th, 2021]