The London-born designer has had a blockbuster year. In November 2018, her vividly-hued menswear collection won her the H&M Design Award 2019 from over 500 entrants. Previously won by British creator Richard Quinn, the prize brought international attention to Ahluwalia’s talent. Her travels to second-hand clothing and recycling markets in Lagos, Nigeria and Panipat, India inspired much of the winning S/S 2019 line. The 26-year Old’s brand Ahluwalia Studio was started with the intent to create garments from what others deemed to be ‘waste’ such as old clothing and dead stock fabrics.
Priya Ahluwalia with Ann-Sofie Jahansson, creative advisor, H&M
Her label also works towards preserving handicrafts through elements like beading and knits. Nostalgia is another big reference point for Ahluwalia who used her grandfather’s old letters (that he wrote to practice English) as prints for the hats and gloves in her Fall/Winter 2019- 2020 collection. The line was presented at Paris Fashion Week in January this year in collaboration with Adidas Originals and The British Fashion Council. The show was live-streamed across the world, and front row attendees included David Beckham, Jonah Hill, Karlie Kloss and Pharrell Williams. Since launching her label in June 2018, Ahluwalia has practised responsible fashion with a refreshingly different goal: to create unique pieces that will last a lifetime. We can only guess what will inspire the S/S ’20 collection she is currently working on. Will it be from her grandfather’s style in the ’60s or the hip-hop videos she so loves from the ’90s? We can’t wait to see.
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