Symphony Soundwave Print
The soundwave print has become a focal point of the Symphony collection. From silk shirts to denim coords, the distorted design ripples across many of the AW23 silhouettes. With the backdrop of a Baroque-era concert hall adorned with mahogany wood, twinkling chandeliers and intricately-decorated cream pillars, this punch, tropical-infused collection enhances all of these interior characteristics - and the same sentiment goes for the clothes.
For this season, the inspiration came from songs that had trickled throughout our creative director and founder’s life; Sade, Prince and Luther Vandross all top the soundtrack for the show. Having spent the prior months working on projects with strong musical influence including films, it spurred an incessant desire to question what the Ahluwalia sound was.
In the briefing ahead of the collection, Priya said:
“I was thinking about ways that we could represent music in the collection that wasn't just like looking at a musician and thinking about their style because I think that is kind of simplistic. So, we started to pull references that included traditional instruments. Like the Tabla here; this loop detail on the drum has inspired this loop detail we have enclosed for example. As well as that I was thinking about soundwaves so we started to get the soundwaves to some of my favourite songs.”
Working with British-Nigerian graphic designer Tim Quadri, these design elements were distorted to create a more fluid motion that flowed seamlessly as a print on the clothes.
This soundwave motif rippled into other elements of the show looks too; nail artist Ama Quashie created a custom design for the runway based off of the collection’s inspirations. As with most Ahluwalia shows, and the brand as a whole, they are an unequivocal celebration of Black and Brown talent; the use of soundwaves throughout help to put this to the forefront - and it became fitting alongside the brand’s signature wave print.
Symphony Unlocked
Ahluwalia presents Autumn Winter 2023 ‘Symphony collection’, connected by EON. Powered by Microsoft. The collection and the stories behind them are connected by EON's cutting-edge digital ID technology, and powered by Microsoft's expertise creating an experience that transcends clothing.
Discover the story and collaboration here.