"My creations create joy and I'm grateful for that": Ashish Gupta
Is the sequin perhaps the most glamorous product of evolutionary biology? Psychologists say humans are drawn to things that sparkle because our ancestors once sought light reflecting off rivers in their search for water. Now we seek out the sparkle elsewhere – a diamond ring, a disco ball – and find new meaning in it beyond survival. Like glamour, or value, or - in the case of Ashish Gupta, a fashion designer renowned for his artistry with glitter - freedom.
This month -ci sees Ashish's first retrospective, showcasing 20 years of her brand's hand-embroidered sequined garments, such as the zardozi dressing gown, a South Asian gold thread embroidery method, and the tee- pink shirt with the slogan "Fall in love and be more tender", and glittery pieces worn by stars such as Beyoncé, Rihanna and Debbie Harry. Stepping into his London home is like stepping behind the scenes - he's replaced the panels on his front door with red glass, so we stand for a quiet minute bathed in dim light. He designed the kitchen counters to house huge planters and lush trees grow towards the glass roof. There are stone busts, Indian paintings on glass and stacks of books, but not a single sequin. They are all, presumably, on the work currently hanging in the William Morris Gallery in east London. "The curator said," smiled Gupta, "'It's really interesting for me, because it's my first time working with a living artist.' And I said, 'Well, we still have three months, you I never know what might happen!' Revisiting his archives at the age of 47 was a strange experience, "a bit surreal, actually. You travel back in time. In a way, it feels like a lifetime has passed." pretty quickly."
He never planned to start a label. Growing up in Delhi, Gupta lined his walls with the pages of fashion magazines and moved to London to study at Central Saint Martins. When he graduated in 2000, he was invited to Paris for interviews at design studios, but while he was at Gare du Nord, his portfolio, containing all of his work ( as well as his money and his papers) is stolen. He had nothing to show for all his years of study and no chance of finding a job.
"It' was devastating! One of the most horribly heartbreaking experiences of my life. The police thought it was funny. They told me to check the trash cans around the station. It was not long after, however, that he received a call. A friend had worn one of her embroidered tops while shopping, and a shopper at Browns asked where she bought it. They wanted to place an order. He returned to India, produced a small collection, big on glamor and (to cut a long story) Ashish, the label, was born. -spacefinder-role="showcase" data-spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-5h0uf4">
Is the sequin perhaps the most glamorous product of evolutionary biology? Psychologists say humans are drawn to things that sparkle because our ancestors once sought light reflecting off rivers in their search for water. Now we seek out the sparkle elsewhere – a diamond ring, a disco ball – and find new meaning in it beyond survival. Like glamour, or value, or - in the case of Ashish Gupta, a fashion designer renowned for his artistry with glitter - freedom.
This month -ci sees Ashish's first retrospective, showcasing 20 years of her brand's hand-embroidered sequined garments, such as the zardozi dressing gown, a South Asian gold thread embroidery method, and the tee- pink shirt with the slogan "Fall in love and be more tender", and glittery pieces worn by stars such as Beyoncé, Rihanna and Debbie Harry. Stepping into his London home is like stepping behind the scenes - he's replaced the panels on his front door with red glass, so we stand for a quiet minute bathed in dim light. He designed the kitchen counters to house huge planters and lush trees grow towards the glass roof. There are stone busts, Indian paintings on glass and stacks of books, but not a single sequin. They are all, presumably, on the work currently hanging in the William Morris Gallery in east London. "The curator said," smiled Gupta, "'It's really interesting for me, because it's my first time working with a living artist.' And I said, 'Well, we still have three months, you I never know what might happen!' Revisiting his archives at the age of 47 was a strange experience, "a bit surreal, actually. You travel back in time. In a way, it feels like a lifetime has passed." pretty quickly."
He never planned to start a label. Growing up in Delhi, Gupta lined his walls with the pages of fashion magazines and moved to London to study at Central Saint Martins. When he graduated in 2000, he was invited to Paris for interviews at design studios, but while he was at Gare du Nord, his portfolio, containing all of his work ( as well as his money and his papers) is stolen. He had nothing to show for all his years of study and no chance of finding a job.
"It' was devastating! One of the most horribly heartbreaking experiences of my life. The police thought it was funny. They told me to check the trash cans around the station. It was not long after, however, that he received a call. A friend had worn one of her embroidered tops while shopping, and a shopper at Browns asked where she bought it. They wanted to place an order. He returned to India, produced a small collection, big on glamor and (to cut a long story) Ashish, the label, was born. -spacefinder-role="showcase" data-spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-5h0uf4">
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