Inspiration for Priya Ahluwalia’s spring/summer 2025 collection came during a trip to Jamaica, when she met a woman in her 80s who was still living in the same house that her late husband had built for her. “She lives on her own, [but doesn’t] want to leave because her husband had built it himself,” the London-based designer tells Vogue in a preview. “I looked at all these family photos with her, and I couldn’t stop crying. I started thinking about how home is special for so many reasons.”
Ahluwalia began looking at homes in India and Nigeria, the countries of her heritage, and speaking to her own family about the idea. “My nana, [who’s] Indian and has lived in England for over 50 years, says that no matter how long she’s lived here, she always has a pull emotionally to India,” she explains.
This sentiment – “a longing for a place, or home” – is represented physically in the clothing, via a “knot and pull” technique used for the gowns. Meanwhile, a photograph of the designer’s mother as a child, in her grandparents’ first home in England, formed the basis for this season’s prints. “There’s this amazingly beautiful, very ’70s wallpaper; I love the motifs in it,” Ahluwalia explains.
The designer also incorporated the beaded curtains often found in Nigerian homes via this season’s accessories, from the eye-catching headpieces to the anklets and belts, as well as in the fringe detailing found on the coats and jumpers. Playing with different textures this season, she used upcycled doilies to create patchwork tops. “I remember going to my aunties’ houses growing up and seeing doilies everywhere,” she recalls. “I actually think they’re quite chic – I want to get some for my home!”
When it came to the show, Ahluwalia brought the idea of home to life in Westminster’s Church House, via vintage Persian and Indian rugs that adorned the runway. For the soundtrack, she collaborated with Adekunle Gold and MassiveMusic, who incorporated everything from the sound of a sizzling frying pan to the noises of India, Nigeria and London. There was also a live performance from Syrian musician Shaza Manla, who played the kanun, a stringed instrument, in tribute to Priya’s late grandfather.
While ruminating on the idea of home, the designer considered the fact that it could be a feeling; something that’s “not necessarily bricks and mortar” – describing this collection as “having a cosy feel; almost like a hug.” As Ahluwalia grows with confidence every season, it‘s clear that the designer has certainly found her home in the fashion landscape.
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