Priya Ahluwalia talks partnering with jewellery giant Pandora and the importance of empowering the next generation of designers

Despite only being established in 2018, Ahluwalia, the eponymous brand of designer Priya Ahluwalia, has quickly become a standout favourite on the London Fashion Week circuit. As a London-based designer and film director with Nigerian and Indian heritage, Priya has garnered numerous industry accolades, including the H&M Design Award in 2018, a joint win of the prestigious 2020 LVMH Prize, two Fashion Awards, and the 2021 Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.

She was also the 2021 GQ Menswear Fund winner and a finalist for the 2022 International Woolmark Prize. This year, to mark the 40th anniversary of London Fashion Week, Priya has incorporated selected jewellery from Pandora into her collection, highlighting the brand's sponsorship of this milestone week.

This year celebrates 40 years of London Fashion Week, a huge milestone for the fashion industry. As a designer, how do you feel about the evolution of LFW over the last 40 years?

It’s an honour to be on schedule with so many amazing brands and designers showcasing alongside them and if we think about the history of London Fashion Week, some of the best designers in the world have shown at it. My younger self would be completely amazed that I'm showing my own collection here.

How do you think being part of the London fashion scene has shaped your career? And why do you think being part of London feels so different from the other cities?

London Fashion Week is a huge platform to be a part of and so many of the opportunities that have come my way are because people have attended my show and seen the press around it. Being part of LFW gives you a platform that allows your message to be spread faster. So I think it's been great for the profile of the brand and also for people to experience the entire spectacle of a show. From the music, to the space curation. London has always loved individuality. It's a city that champions independent brands. I think that there's value in all of these different brands for different cities but I think London is particularly good at giving a voice and a platform to brands in a way that ensures they don’t get lost amongst the noise.

How do you feel like the city's fashion scene has evolved over the last 40 years?

London has always had an amazing fashion scene and it’s a really good incubator of young talent. However what I think has changed and has become really interesting is that it's diverse in so many ways because of the inclusivity of the Fashion Week. There is such a wide array of ideas and such a wide array of points of views and ethos which I think is really incredible and quite unique to London.

What do you think the future holds in terms of how we evolve?

What I would like to see is independent smaller brands doing these different ideas and being supported in the way that these more classic heritage brands are. I think that there's a disconnect between the small and big brands and it would be great to see these businesses scale and be able to cement a true legacy.

Pandora is the official sponsor of London Fashion week this year which is significant with the celebration of the 40th year and Pandora being a British brand. Why do you think partnerships like this are important?

Well, first of all, I think that partnerships are fun and I think that they give myself and my team an opportunity to work with the business in a different area. We've never partnered with the jewellery brand before in this way. I'm really looking forward to learning more about how the jewellery business works. Pandora is one of the biggest jewellery brands in the world and the reach is incredible. So it gives us an opportunity to be introduced to new audiences, markets and people that might not have seen the brand.

Why do you think it's important for brands like Pandora to provide sponsorship? and why it’s specifically important to support women to be in and retain these positions in power and leadership?

I think that this is an industry wide question because fashion is probably the one industry in the world where there are more women working in fashion than there are men. So it feels crazy to me that if you look at the stats, it’s as if women can't do these jobs. I think it's because there's a disconnect between the C suites in the businesses and the creative side, and I think that if the C suites aren't inclusive and if there aren't many women in those spaces then it's hard to visualise women in the spaces. If we're thinking about the top 20 brands there's really not anyone that's black or brown except for maybe two and barely any women.

Pandora really leans into accessibility and customising to your own personal style with their pieces. How do you think the synergy between brands like Pandora and the fashion world are important?

I really like the customization element of Pandoras’ jewellery as I'm a super sentimental person and I like giving gifts. I think it means that people take care of pieces more when it has meaning as there is more of an emotional connection to it. That's the really special part of the brands’ ethos and also something that, even though I operate in a contemporary luxury space, I love that it's actually more accessible and something that people can have now. I had my first Pandora bracelet when I was 16. Everyone's got a Pandora's story, the nostalgic concept of the brand is something I am really aligned with so being able to partner on creating special pieces that people will remember and keep for a long time is very cool.

Fashion Week is around the corner. It's a historic week for the industry. What can you tell me, if anything, that you're most excited about personally?

My SS25 collection is called Home Sweet Home. The concept came from an exploration of what home means to me. And in a very literal sense like when I look at photos from my grandparents first house when we first moved to England. or it could be something emotional, Like speaking to my grandma about the way that she always feels a pull to India no matter what. When thinking of that, we devised twists and a pulling technique in the collection and some beautiful conceptual ways of thinking. It's so important to me because I think now more than ever, we are in a digital age and we’re so connected to what's happening globally around the world. Displacement is huge and I kept thinking about how important it is for people to have homes. I have been reflecting on how lucky I am to have homes that I live and I feel safe in. Whether it’s when I go to India or Nigeria or being at home in London with people I love. It’s a special feeling that we all deserve to have so it’s where my inspiration came from for SS25 collection.

Why does it feel significant to celebrate this week and why do you think it's important that brands like Pandora are part of a week like this?

There is a value exchange when you do partnerships, especially when one brand is bigger than the other. The smaller brand can tap into expertise and can really learn something, as well as the financial support that comes with it. I think that for the larger brands, they get to tap into an audience they might have not been able to reach. Ultimately, partnerships are fun and an opportunity for people on all sides to learn something new and hopefully a starting point of something bigger. I think that brands that don't invest in up and coming talent are missing a trick because I think it keeps them fresh and interesting, personally I think it's a winning situation for everyone.

Ahluwalia is available to buy online at Ahluwalia.world