Thursday 16 June 2022

Ahluwalia's Bold and Bright Spring/Summer 2023 Collection

The leafy setting of the Salter's Hall Garden in London was the backdrop for the new Ahluwalia SS23 show.



PRIYA Ahluwalia originally founded her eponymous label as a menswear brand but added womenswear to her collections last season. Born in London, the designer is inspired by her Indian-Nigerian heritage and launched her fashion company in 2018. Integral to her design ethos are repurposing materials and finding different ways to examine black identity. This season she explored further afield, aiming to bring forth the heterogeneity of the African continent and all of its cultural individuality, calling the new collection Africa is Limitless

"It is inspired by everything from weaving, to their many superstar musicians, to the technicolour Sapeurs and album covers from Cote d'Ivoire," notes the designer. "Beaded elements draw on sources of inspiration from Kenyan and Rwandan cultures. Gorgeous patterns seen in old vintage museum blankets from Tunisia inspire a respectfully redrawn and reinterpreted likeness in knitwear, and other vintage textiles inspire unique prints."

Presented during London Fashion Week, the Spring/Summer 2023 Ahluwalia show was held amid the greenery of Salter's Hall Garden which was a foil to the brilliant colour of the designs she sent down the leafy runway. Colourful and voluminous head wraps completed looks which included an intriguing mix of athleisure and tailoring. The designer's bold patterns added to the vibrancy and vividness of the collection and made elusive references to the many African countries she studied before designing this season's show~ Giacomo de Rothschild














Subscribe to support our independent and original journalism, photography, artwork and film.