How to sum up Ashish’s aesthetics? Sequins. Yes,the man is sequin obsessed with the majority of his designs plastered in them! This anti-trend designer fuses Indian prints and colours with Western pop culture to create humorous yet glamorous collections. Over the years, his designs have been eccentric and playful, loose fitting and oversized, and often with a sportswear edge. Despite an obsession with Hollywood, Ashish Gupta- the man behind the magic – designs pieces full of humor and irony; his recent collection for example sported huge fast-food graphics. A successful approach it seems, with his hand-sewn creations seen on the likes of Paloma Faith, Elizabeth Jagger and his certified muse, M.I.A.
Ashish, who is originally from India but moved to London where he studied at Central St Martins has never had a boring collection since his 2001 debut. His latest collection, shown last month at London Fashion Week took on back-to-school, geek chic. Baggy sweatpants, loose jeans, denim jackets and sweatshirts made up the collection, all coated with sequins, in typical school uniform colours of black, grey, blue and white. His extra touch of glamour came in the form of… you guess it, sequins! Glitzy dresses with slits up the side, asymmetric hems, and polka-dot sequin prints. Complete with Reebok sneakers, scrunchies, dorky glasses and sequin-covered socks, the models were the coolest geeks we’ve ever seen!
Gaining global acclaim, Ashish’s collections are now sold worldwide, stocked in boutiques from the USA to Dubai, as well as online at super-chic e-tailer, Net-a-Porter. Worried they’re sounding a little out of reach? Fear not, for pleasing our measly student budgets, you have Topshop to thank! Ashish’s 8th capsule collection for Topshop is currently available online, with Olympic-inspired tees coming in at £50 complete with his iconic, ironic slogans such as ‘2nd Place’ and ‘Loser.’ Thanks to Ashish, coming second has never been so fashionable.