Designer Priya Ahluwalia and photographer Nick Sethi talk about their creative process and the need to innovate

An auto whizzes past with ‘Good Luck’ scrawled on its back. A transwoman smiles as she sits on the edge of a  terrace, her long dupatta trailing off her lap, rhinestoned bangles glistening on her wrist. Designer Priya Ahluwalia took the first photograph while visiting Panipat to explore the second-hand market. Photographer Nick Sethi took the second in India in 2016 and published it in his book Khichdi, a collection of 846 images. In their first meeting, the two creatives discuss referencing India in their work, their creative processes, and avoiding derivativeness in fashion and imagery.

 

Upasana: Priya, you had a shoot right before this?

Priya: It went well—at least, I think so! Let’s see when the pictures come out.

Nick: If it felt good, it’ll look good.

Upasana: It’s interesting how all three of us are in different places—the UK, US, and India—yet navigating far-right landscapes to varying degrees. How does that affect your work?

Nick: It’s probably frustrating to witness things unfold at such a scale, but we’re lucky to be in positions where we have influence, especially online. I try not to dwell on the negatives but look for new ways to connect and improve.

Priya: I feel the same. Some days, I wonder, What’s this all for? Am I adding enough value to society? But when you’re a person of colour or from a marginalised background, just existing is an act of protest.

Upasana: Your travels to India have shaped your perspectives and creative practices. What about these trips that inspired you?

Priya: I’m third-generation—my mum was born in Britain, but my grandparents were from India. It sounds dramatic, but in India, everything inspires me. It’s not just the prints and textiles—that’s probably the last thing I notice. I’m drawn to the colour of dust on the roads, the hawkers’ outfits, the fruit stalls, the textures of buildings. There’s an energy in the streets I don’t feel anywhere else. I always get emotional in India.

Nick: A thousand per cent agree. Growing up in the US, I didn’t fully understand many aspects of my heritage. But every visit reveals something new—whether in my mum, grandma, or myself. My family in Delhi struggles with daily life, so they don’t always understand why I seek out certain places. But I feel lucky to experience both worlds.

Upasana: When starting a design or a photography project, do you begin with these references? Priya, how does that work in your photobooks—Jalebi and Sweet Lassi?

Priya: I love photography but wouldn’t call myself a photographer—I lean more towards moving images. My process often starts with research, exhibitions, or even a play. My last collection was about home, so I built a research board, analysing what ‘home’ meant across different mediums. With film, it starts with a lot of writing.

Nick: I recognise your boards in the background. You always have these big mood boards (Priya laughs), and  there was one actually that I took a screenshot of yesterday—to think about later. Personally, I work the opposite way. I use my own images as research. Photography helps me understand things—capturing something, bringing it home, and sitting with it. It’s like discovering the thesis after collecting the material, rather than forming a thesis first. How do you distil all that into a single idea or show?

Priya: That’s my favourite part! I categorise inspiration—one section for colour, another for shape, and other for pattern. We sketch and experiment from there. With photography, sometimes you know what you want to  create; it’s about finding the image that best represents your idea.

Upasana: Priya, your family photographs play a big role in your current collection and in Jalebi, where you explored your grandmother’s journey from India to the UK. How do these memories shape your work?

Priya: I’m quite nostalgic, but I don’t want my designs to be carbon copies of the past. It’s more about emotional things. For my last collection, I was looking at pictures of my mum when she was four, standing in front of this wild wallpaper—it was covered in these amazing leaves—in my grandparents’ first home in England. I sketched the motif, played with colours, and developed it into a print. Buyers don’t need to know the backstory—they just need to like the print—but for me, that personal connection makes the process meaningful. My mum recognising the inspiration behind it is special, but once it’s out in the world, it’s no longer about me.

Nick: If your mum is happy, that’s the best thing.

Priya: Absolutely. Looking at the past is exciting, but it’s about making it new. One of the best compliments I’ve received is that people can’t pinpoint my influences. No one says, Oh, you’re clearly a Vivienne Westwood fan. Primary research and personal references let me create something that is uniquely Ahluwalia.

Nick: The ultra-personal is often universal. The worst thing you can do is focus too much on what’s trending in your industry.

Priya: Totally. Some photographers follow ‘the photographer of the moment,’ but what makes you unique is your greatest strength. It’s important not to get too caught up in what everyone else is doing.

Nick: Hopefully not in a self-aggrandising way, but the times I’ve been most proud of myself were when I felt I’m the only person in the universe who could have come to doing it in this way.

Upasana: Music plays a role in both your work—Nick, you seem to be influenced by the punk scene, and Priya,  your designs often come with playlists.

Nick: I’m preparing to go to the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. The first photos I ever took were at punk shows—pure chaos. People jumping on top of me while I shot. That trained me to be adaptable. Now, I apply that same mindset to massive gatherings like Kumbh Mela.

Priya: Music has been a constant in my life. My family played music loud—my mum has impeccable taste. My older cousins would go to garage raves, and I was so jealous! I always say, you’ll never regret watching live music. It’s such a special experience. When creating collections, I want to engage all five senses. For my last show on ‘home,’ we incorporated sounds of Indian traffic, beeping horns, even the sound of chapatis flipping on a tawa. Those small details create a mood. People who recognise them get it, and it sparks memories.

Nick: That’s incredible. Music hits deeper than anything visual. I’m jealous because, in another life, I’d want music to be my creative medium—it’s like a direct needle to the heart.

Priya: You could always release a playlist alongside your photography projects—immerse people in your audible world as well as your visual one.

Nick: Can I ask you about going to Panipat? I’ve seen the images that come out of it, and I thought it was so interesting that in the first collection you immediately responded by making the book. 

Priya: It started in Lagos, where I noticed hawkers wearing obscure second-hand clothing—London Marathon T-shirts and such. That led me to research the global second-hand industry, which brought me to Panipat. My cousins live in Noida, so I convinced my nana to take a trip with me. We had no plan, just showed up, knocked on doors, and one company let us in. It was visually stunning but also alarming.

Upasana: Both of you document the streets extensively. Priya, you’ve spoken about walking with your father in Southall, London and documenting that in your book. How do you view street photography as a political act, especially in relation to identity?

Nick: That’s where life is.

Priya: Exactly. Everyday moments can be so interesting. Historically, photography—especially documentary photography—was dominated by outsiders, often capturing people without agency. There’s been a colonial gaze through the camera. I think it’s all about intent. Today, a new wave of creatives is decolonising that perspective, celebrating and uplifting rather than objectifying.

Nick: Intent is key. I approach it with a desire to connect. Every time I go to India, still there are things that I am drawn to or that my family’s connected to—not a physical thing, but an emotional thing...or a conceptual one. And, it’s always like a process of self-discovery too. While working on the streets, you should try to give as much as you take, if not more. 

Upasana: How do you balance being both an insider and an outsider in your work?

Nick: Duality is what makes things interesting. India is full of contradictions. It teaches you openness.

Priya: I don’t think about it intentionally—it just is. I live in London, I was born in London, but I’ve got a diverse background, and I think that all of those things melt into each other, and that’s how the duality is kind of balanced out.

Upasana: How do you avoid falling into tropes when referencing India?

Priya: I never want to do something that’s a trope. If I’m inspired by something, I try to think what is my version of that? What am I actually inspired about that for? So, let’s take an example of marigolds. I might love marigolds, but I might be thinking about it in terms of colour and then maybe that’s the colour of the set. But it’s not a marigold. So, you can be informed by the past, but it’s about analysing what that can inspire for the future outside of what it already exists.

Nick: I never aim to describe anything—only my experience of it. I’m not here to speak for everyone.

Upasana: How does visual language change between your fashion and editorial work, and other visual projects?

Priya: With creativity, a lot of time there’s reason and logic. But other times, just a sense of feeling.

Nick: I only like to take pictures of things that I can find a connection to. For a lot of the fashion work, I’m constantly looking for connections as we’re working–whether that’s to the people and the team, the model, the clothes or the set. I didn’t start being a fashion photographer because I love fashion necessarily. It’s more because I like photography. It’s been a really interesting road, and it continues to be so everyday.

All images: Courtesy Priya Ahluwalia and Nick Sethi

This article first appeared in the January-February 2025 issue of Harper's Bazaar India

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