The Sequins Of Ashish

OK so I am fully aware this is going to sound way over the top for you little shiny things....yes you sequins. Those little sparkling twinklings when grouped together can make something look so special! Even just a completely covered bag with just jeans and a t-shirt they manage to make the whole outfit something that extra bit special. Getting clothes ready for Ibiza a few weeks ago I found a bag that I used to love and wore so much the handle broke, but no I could NEVER frow it away so I brought it back with a new strap and I sort of like it that some of the sequins are falling of?



This obsession led me down to ASHISH....after reading a sentence in the H&M magazine, that was something along the lines of describing the designer as having an obsession for sequins...admittedly not knowing anything about the designer previously this one simple sentence confirmed I would be a fan.




Then to the research on Ashish Gupta, I don't know if its just me but I absolutely love reading about designers, how they started, what inspires them just everything, then even writing it up for you readers....Imagine that as my actual job!/get me out of this Bank!





'If you see the Hollywood Hills landmark sign adorned in sequin, we know who did it.'



With his cool demeanour and outfits consisting of understated jumpers, slakes and Nikes it is hard to imagine that Delhi born designer has a love affair with sequins, yet his approachable personal style works brilliantly to balance his 'more-is-more' design philosophy. Ashish made its debut in London in 2001 after the collections was scooped up by a buyer from Browns, fast-forward nine years later Gupta is enjoying tremendous international commercial success with his colourful adorned sequined designs and now stocked worldwide. Once again it never fails to amaze me how one person makes their own designs and it grows and gets picked up and now look at it! He has built an empire rooted around one key element, the SEQUIN.




Far from gimmick Ashish's shimmering embellishments are a labour of love, each garment is hand sewn by 12 to 16 dressmakers at his atelier in India, I can imagine the patience needed! I made the jacket below and it took me forever every morning on the tube to work and those many hours in front of the TV at home! At quick glance, it is hard to recognise that sequins make up the core foundation of each piece, partly because of the superior craftsmanship.



Apart from being obsessed with sequins he is also obsessed with Hollywood, for which you can blame his mother, at the age of 10 he began ripping pages out of her copies of American Vogue and fantasising about life in America 'Growing up in India is was a dream to kind of go to America, it was a fantasy, I think my use of sequins is more of an American or Western style as opposed to what you would find in traditional Indian clothing.' Although he did make it to London's Central Saint Martins where he graduated.



Although it seems that is literally completly based on the sequin, he has still managed to stay on the forefront of fashion 'I dont look at trends ever. Any that arise within the collection are a course of nature.' The attraction to the sequin derives from a fascination of 'taking something really ordinary or traditional and twisting it and making it new.' And I for one will never get bored of the sequin.....



Although I really liked the quikeness and sense of humour behindhis Autumn/WInter collection, it was the exagerated tassles and feather head peices and of course the whole use of sequins that I liked best after a quick look at his previous collections.