Aishwarya Singh: Exploring culture through fashion

An exploration of culture and heritage has inspired the work of Aishwarya Singh (MA Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear) featured on the cover of this year’s UAL Postgraduate Guide.

Inspiration was taken from the idea of ‘palimpsest’ – something reused or altered that still bears visible traces of its earlier form. The jacket she created layers traces of the cultures she relates to: a silhouette inspired by Chinese culture, an African cotton batik outer fabric and Indian silk lining.

The making of Palimpsest

Aishwarya’s experience of many cultures formed the central idea that wove its way through her first project on the course. With parents from the same country but two very different cultures, and then moving around India and finally to London when she joined UAL, contrasting cultures have been a big part of her life.

“It was the perfect opportunity to talk about my background. Sometimes people talk about being from different cultures in a negative way, feeling that that they don't belong in one place. Like the sense of belonging is lost. But I've always been welcomed and it's been very positive."

The idea eventually shaped itself into Palimpsest.

“Think about those walls you see which are lined with posters on top of each other. And then beneath you see scraps of older posters with the glue marks. And you continue to layer new posters on top but can still see hints of the older ones. It’s layers upon layers upon layers. And that's what I've become now, because of my cultural experiences, and the whole concept is about that.”

Drawing upon the creative community

Aishwarya worked closely with another postgraduate student, Aqib Mirza, on the project. Aqib, specialising in sports footwear, was pushed outside of his comfort zone with the brief of creating womenswear heels. Aqib explains how the experience challenged him.

“Being very early into my footwear design journey, producing heels was new to me. I was more geared towards producing sportswear shoes, so I found it a little challenging initially. But this was the exact reason why the collaboration was exciting. It was something new for me to learn and develop my skills. I was pushed a lot.”

Aishwarya enjoyed the experience and fully appreciated the collaborative aspect of the project.

“It was a lot of fun. I like to have fun and enjoy the whole process. And I enjoy designing and creating. Having another person on board made it better. Aqib was having a lot of fun working on something new. I was having a lot of fun collaborating with a student on a different course.”

Specialising to progress 

Hailing from India, Aishwarya graduated from her BA course in 2019 and started her fashion career in New Delhi.  After working in the Indian fashion industry for over three years, she made the decision to go back to her studies to specialise in womenswear, with the goal of progressing her career.

“I wanted the specialisation in womenswear and I chose London specifically because of my interest in streetwear. I thought London would be a great hub to be exposed to that type of fashion.”

Moving from New Delhi to London

Pushing pause on a career to go back to full-time study is a huge decision. But when that decision also involves a move 4,000 miles away from home, it takes a lot of courage. Aishwarya explains the emotions involved.

“It was a melting pot of all these feelings. I was super excited about what awaited me, but sad to leave my family behind. I have a really good community back in India. I questioned whether I was doing the right thing in moving away from these beautiful people and putting so much at stake. But all those thoughts were sprinkled with excitement.”

When she arrived in London, the connection to fellow international students was what helped Aishwarya feel settled and welcome.

“Meeting other international students and seeing that it's not just me – there are others doing the same thing. It just brings a sense of safety. I'm not the only one risking all of this. There are other people and this is worth it.”

Industry connections

The tutors and peers on Aishwarya’s course have had a huge impact on her experience.

“They had so much constructive feedback and I learnt so much from them. It gave me a different perspective on my work.”

She explains that her exposure to industry was also through the efforts of her tutors.

“They arranged an industrial preview for our final collection right before we submitted. It involved fashion journalists and other key people in the industry. They reviewed our work and spoke to us about it. It was a great opportunity for networking.”

Advice for future students

Aishwarya has some valuable advice for anyone thinking about postgraduate study.

“Enjoy the process. Because a lot of times, with the deadlines and marks and grades, it’s easy to forget to enjoy the process of creating. But it’s so important to enjoy making your projects – the process and reaching the final outcome. Have a lot of fun with whatever you're doing. Make the most of it.”