I may once again be dazedly wandering about, out of the loop and oblivious to what's going on, miles behind fashion's far less flighty virtuosos. However, I am still thrilled to have had my first encounter with London (via India) designer Ashish Gupta, whose debut at London Fashion Week in fall/winter 2004 garnered much praise and was considered "a delightfully bright and cheery catwalk debut".
I was reading a Fader interview with MIA from last month (which was great, by the way - she is such a unique and interesting artist) and she mentioned Ashish as an underrated designer she favors. I immediately went to the Ashish website and checked out a few of his most recent collections. I can't necessarily pull off MIA's horizontally-patterned, tight-as-spandex onesies with bomber jackets, but I would happily wear much of what I saw on the runway at Ashish. His earlier collections are more off-the-wall, more MIA, mixing tye dye tights with printed outfits in seemingly clashing colors.
The way he has used sequins and fringe in recent collections is so unique and playful. He uses sequins to make camouflage prints, plaid and gingham,or punctuates sequin pieces with holes, and the dresses have sexy details like plunging backs. India is one of my favorite countries in the world and yet I'm not familiar with any Indian designers, which definitely added to my excitement about Ashish.
Ashish has also created a collection for Topshop, which isn't able to showcase his true abilities at more reasonable prices, but which definitely earns him props in my books (as does any designer who creates more affordable clothing lines for fans who can't otherwise afford their clothes).
If you're a fan of MIA, you'll understand immediately why she would love these clothes; if you're a fan of fun, original designs, you'll immediately love Ashish.
Check out the website to see more:
http://www.ashish.co.uk/content.html
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