Priya Ahluwalia took to the British Library to tell the stories of hidden figures, with a focus on Algerian artist Baya Mahieddine, who inspired Pablo Picasso’s “Women of Algiers” painting.
Tribal art heavily influenced Mahieddine’s work; she used a cluster of colorful shades that Ahluwalia adopted for her vibrantly sleek collection that played with fun elements such as printed patchworks, soft silks and denim that looked like it was being ripped apart.
Florals popped up throughout the collection hidden in secret spots — camouflaged with the buzzy colors and some as broaches by using tiny mirrors embroidered onto the fabric to form the shape of a flower.
“I was thinking about reflections — seeing yourself in garments is quite weird but I wanted to play around with that idea,” the designer said backstage.
“The floral arrangements were really about giving people their flowers and appreciating people,” she added.
Ahluwalia has an eye for statement pieces that don’t scream and shout, with track suits and pants strolling onto the runway as if it were a beach club.
The British designer continued her collaboration with Ace & Tate for a second season with the letter A on the hinges of the glasses, as well as creating an illusion print from acetate for the frames.
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tom Tripp merged Ahluwalia’s soundtrack with a mix of genres, using music from the Black and South Asian diaspora, spanning from Cicero Jones and Robert Johnson to contemporary music such as amapiano and samples from Remo.
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