‘Most of the pieces are from my personal styling archive,’ says Asha, of the bright, block-coloured pieces he chose as a vibrant backdrop for each image designed to mimic the ‘behind-the-scenes’ process of meticulous pinning, folding, clipping and manipulation that goes into preparing garments for a fashion image. ‘My archive consists mostly of designer and non-designer pieces which I use for styling in photoshoots — basically it is an extension to my styling kit of clips and pins etc. I love tuxedo shirts on women, for example, as I love to break stigmas — back in the day this is something that only men would wear, but when you put it on a woman it can still create a new contradiction,’ he told A Magazine Curated By. ‘The colourful vintage shirts are items that I always try to take on set — I have a full colour range of these shirts. They are perfect for moments when you miss something — sometimes the element that is missing is a combination of colours that just don’t look right yet, and you just need that one pop of colour to finish the colour combinations in that specific look you are creating. But, it could also be that extra layer that gives a bit more depth. I really look at these pieces purely from a stylist’s point of view — I don’t wear this clothing, I store this in my studio and only use it for my work.’
For another look at fashion from behind, revisit the 2019 exhibition Backside at the Musée Bourdelle, Paris, curated by Alexandre Samson.
Styling by Imruh Asha at Streeters
Photography by Carlijn Jacobs at Art & Commerce
Interview by Dan Thawley