The designer used Indian and West African fairy tales she grew up with in her designs for the season – such as ‘The Prince Who Wanted the Moon’, ‘The Magic Fiddle’ and ‘How the Leopard Got His Spots’ . she told British Vogue.
She said, “I was thinking about how stories have influenced my life – why we like the stories we do, and how they move forward.”
Ahluwalia said the corset-like detail in the knitwear of her design was inspired by Netflix’s ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’, which she watched while researching for her collection.
The designer, who launched her brand Ahluwalia in 2018, works with limited quantities of fabrics, often upcycling and using patchwork techniques to limit waste.
LFW comes at a tumultuous time for the UK fashion industry, amid post-Brexit trade barriers and the country’s cost-of-living crisis. The difficult economic situation has also led some budding designers to question the feasibility of investing in British fashion programs.
Rising star Dilara Findikoglu made headlines last September when she canceled her show days before the event due to financial reasons.
The industry, which employs about 900,000 people in the UK and contributes 21 billion pounds (26 billion USD) to the British economy, is facing “incredibly challenging times”, LFW director Caroline Rush told AFP. told.