Ashish Gupta: “Equality has always been part of the world I was imagining”

Kaleidoscopic trousers, shimmering sequin dresses and bold slogan T-shirts are Ashish Gupta’s love language, through which he communicates his vision for liberation and equality. The designer founded his eponymous label more than two decades ago, creating glamorous clothes that both reflect what he describes as “the sexiness and freedom of nightlife” as well as his experiences as an immigrant, emblazoning them with powerful phrases such as “Love sees no colour” and “Unity in adversity”.

Since boyhood in 1980s and 1990s Delhi, Gupta had found himself drawn to the pages of his mother’s fashion magazines, and after finishing his schooling there, moved to London to study fashion design at Central Saint Martins. “This was the time when being gay was illegal in India, so I felt like I needed to go to a big, glitzy liberal city,” he explains. After graduating, he set off to Paris with the hope of working at a studio there; but when he arrived at the Gare du Nord, his entire portfolio was stolen. “It was devastating. I couldn’t get a job because I’d lost all my work.” While he hadn’t planned to establish his own label at this stage, putting together a small collection was the option he was left with – “a blessing in disguise”, as he says. When a friend wore one of his designs to the Mayfair boutique Browns Focus in 2001, its buyer Yeda Yun put in an order, and soon stars from Madonna to Rihanna were seen wearing his playful pieces.

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Neelam Gill walking for Ashish

Despite being a small, independent label that still sews each garment by hand, Ashish has made its presence known in the industry, thrice winning the prestigious British Fashion Council NewGen award. He also committed to casting diverse models in his shows long before other brands followed suit. “Equality and inclusivity have always been part of the world I was imagining, which I wanted to live in,” he says. “For me, making collections is a very personal process. It’s not necessarily about what’s cool right now – it’s more about asking myself, ‘What do I want to express?’”

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Taylor Swift wearing Ashish

"Equality and inclusivity have always been part of the world I was imagining"

This month will see Ashish’s first retrospective open at east London’s William Morris Gallery, with more than 60 archive pieces on display, including the scarlet mini-dress and jacket worn by Beyoncé and a glittering rainbow-stripe frock and blazer once seen on Taylor Swift. “It follows different stages of my journey, which has at times been very difficult – avoiding being stereotyped as an Indian designer, and trying to be taken seriously in my medium,” he reflects. “But I always said to myself, just do the work and stick to what you feel is true to you. That’s what is important in the end.”