Priya Ahluwalia, University of Westminster Menswear MA graduate and Creative Director and Founder of Ahluwalia, recently collaborated with global technology company Epson to create Fashion Play, a new doll-sized clothing label that reuses textile waste. The collection aims to showcase sustainable clothing innovation to tackle the landfill crisis in Europe.
The collection was inspired by research conducted by Epson on textile waste in Europe, which revealed that the UK throws 216 million pieces of children’s clothing into landfill each year. It also showed that while 52% of parents actively consider more sustainable clothes for themselves, over 35% admit to getting rid of their children’s clothes in the quickest and easiest way possible. To showcase how innovation can help tackle this growing waste problem, Priya and Epson created Fashion Play.
Inspired by Priya’s designs from her Ahluwalia AW25 line, Fashion Play uses Epson’s Monna Lisa digital textile printing technology, which reduces water consumption in the colour printing stage of clothing production by up to 97%. Priya also used Epson’s pioneering Dry Fibre Technology (DFT), which transforms old textiles into new fibres without water or harsh chemicals, ensuring sustainable production.
Priya’s brand Ahluwalia finds inspiration from her Indian-Nigerian heritage by repurposing vintage materials in factories that employ rural women and pay them fairly. Ahluwalia explores the potential of vintage and dead stock clothing, giving existing textiles a new life through menswear.
Priya’s list of achievements has continued to grow since she graduated in 2018. Her brand Ahluwalia received the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design and was chosen as one of the eight brands to win the LVMH Prize in 2020. She was also named in Forbes Magazine’s 30 under 30 list for 2020 and had her designs showcased at the 2025 MET Gala.
The Fashion courses available at Westminster and Priya’s work directly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4: Quality Education and 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about Fashion courses at the University of Westminster.
Related articles
