A Sai Ta is back at the Fashion Schedule with a more clear perspective four years after his London Fashion Week solo show. ‘I learnt more about myself, how the industry works, and what it takes to build longevity,’ says the South London-born designer about his highly anticipated return to the fashion week cycle. ‘My journey is continuous – I had to remember to keep dreaming, moving, striving, and re-learnt that my dreams were within reach,’ Ta notes.
After his first standalone show for AW19, the designer, who graduated from Central Saint Martins and cut his teeth at The Row, pressed pause on the brand ‘to reimagine and be present’ during the global pandemic.
Before this, his work was prolific on social media: a scroll through Instagram would reveal directional looks worn by the likes of Fashion East’s Lulu Kennedy and model Kiko Mizuhara in varying shades of his kaleidoscopic tie-dye ‘Hot Wok’ top. In 2019 he designed a custom hot-pink asymmetric dress for Rihanna (and was the first Fenty collaborator), which he then produced with sales going to Black Lives Matter, Solace Women’s Aid and The Voice of Domestic Workers.
The designer decided to relaunch his cult collection for AW23. Show notes titled ‘Can you take my breath away?’ was a prelude for what was to come. Tsunaina, a multidisciplinary artist, opened the show at the Old Selfridges Hotel with a stunning solo. The show then featured 22 stunning looks featuring fraying, fringed, and figure-hugging skirts, nunchuk bag, patchwork jeans, and his signature tie-dye outfits. The latter took on a new twist, as he paid homage to the first interlocked tie-dye designs that he’d sent down the runway as a Fashion East pupil. Analysing opposites and the ‘Ying and Yang’ (Ta previously released bags emblazoned with the symbol) were also significant influences. Furthermore, he told ELLE he was inspired by Noughties hit ‘Let Me Blow Your Mind’ by Eve and Gwen Stefani.
‘The vision for my brand is not too strict – I’m a curious, sensitive person. I explored clothing as safety and protection, such as a life jacket,’ he told ELLE. ‘Many of us know what it is like to be safe or saved. As ever, it’s been vital to consider how the clothes sit on varying body shapes and sizes.’ The fabric was sourced from deadstock LVMH garments, and he reimagined pieces using material from previous collections. Expanding the brand’s DNA included working with silk, jersey, and screen-printing. ‘I’m interested in destroying to create, and so, it was vital to revisit fabrics, materials, and shapes that I felt needed a new home or to be seen differently.’
Ta’s transformation has come about through a prolonged reflective period. Designer’s unveiling collections multiple times a year has been a hot topic of conversation in recent years, and Ta believes there can be numerous conduits for creative expression in the fashion realm. ‘Designers must find their own paths to defining what’s best for their brands and business’s longevity.’ As for what the future holds for ASAI? Growth and freedom. ‘I hope for continuous growth within myself, the brand, and my team and to continue building a community. Fashion is politics; fashion is power. Fashion means everything to me. Fashion allows me to live fast and be brave enough to know, I’ll die fab.’