Exhibition: Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender showcases at the William Morris Gallery

A fashion designer who once said “colour and sequins are my response to this terrifying world” has his first major exhibition.

Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender will showcase more than 60 designs by Ashish Gupta at the William Morris Gallery in Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow, north London.

The exhibition offers an exclusive look into Mr Gupta’s playful practice.

In recent years Mr Gupta’s work has engaged with ideas around global exchange and the difficult cultural relationships between India and Britain.

Mr Gupta’s signature designs speak to his belief that colour has the ability to bring joy to its wearers.

The exhibition includes designs emblazoned with MORE GLITTER LESS TWITTER, created in response to the election of President Trump 2016 and a new version of his celebrated IMMIGRANT T-shirt.

Originally trained in fine art, Mr Gupta studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins, London, and later founded his fashion label, Ashish, in 2001.

He has established a reputation for high-glamour outfits designed in his studio in East London and then hand-made by skilled artisans at his small workshop in Delhi.

The exhibition also features an exciting new commission by the Mumbai-based photographer and film-maker, Ashish Shah.

Mr Shah grew up in Dehradun, a city in the Himalayan foothills near Rishikesh in northern India, renowned for its spirituality and natural beauty.

The photographer, who was highlighted in The Photographers’ Gallery Ones to Watch 2021, creates colour saturated images of Indian culture from women in saris to men washing on the river banks.

The exhibition is free and open Tuesdays to Sundays until September 10.

Website: www.wmgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions-43/ashish-fall-in-love-and-be-more-tender/

Picture: Ashish Gupta Picture: Ashish Gupta, The William Morris Gallery