FOR SPRING-summer 2025, Priya Ahluwalia took a moment to reflect on the landscape of migration, looking at the very notion of what home means. Sometimes that can mean past and present, other times it can mean the distance from your ancestral home to where you are now. What are the ties that still link you to your roots?
The designer took a trip to Jamaica that spurred this self-reflection looking inwards at her Indian-Nigerian heritage upon her return. Her grandmother, despite living in the UK for over 50 years, still felt an affinity to her homeland of India and a pull that she could never shake.
But this idea of home – whether its physical or metaphorical – is universal. So, for SS25, Ahluwalia’s collection, aptly titled Home Sweet Home, is a celebration of craft and unity. Inspired by Peruvian artist Jorge Eielson, the collection was weaved with panelled fabrics that had been drawn, knotted, pleated and pulled across the torso to symbolise the connection and pull of the ideology at heart.
Deadstock fabrics were used to make tailored suits, vintage doilies were upcycled into tops and adorned with beading, two-piece woven dresses and raffia knit brought texture to the mix, and tile patterns added depth to the design sphere. Most notably, a new print debuted of floral and leaf pattern, inspired by the wallpaper of the first home of her grandparents when they migrated to England.
Naturally, Ahluwalia stuck to her vibrancy with oodles of colour bouncing from top to bottom but this season arrived in a warmer palette to bode better with nostalgia. Ecru and terracotta matched dusty pinks and sky blues, unearthing a profound sense of peace as the looks unravelled.
Embracing heritage with innovative design is something Ahluwalia does better than anyone, however SS25 felt like the pinnacle of what she has done to date. Revealing the collection to the sound of a collaboration with Kanun instrumentalist Shaza Manla, who played live, and Adekunle Gold and Michael Seyifunmi, the very idea of fusion danced around the room, and as she walked out for her bow, a roar of cheer erupted. It felt like Priya had found home.
by Imogen Clark