London’s hottest young Asian fashion designers are bringing forward-thinking designs to the catwalks in Bermondsey. Elspeth Waters reports

While most of London was battling a rather grey and blustery start to March last Thursday, the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey was awash with colour as some of the capital’s hottest young Asian fashion designers gathered to showcase their latest collections for this year’s Asian Dreams exhibition.

From ostentatious Swarovski Crystal clusters by Ravi Dadi to Sabina Ali’s sleek, contemporary, formal dresses, the eight designers each had their attractions, but it was the penultimate exhibit, Sari, which had spectators twitching. Billed as the only Asian-run ethical design label, Sari’s new collection, Red Carpet, continues designer Susannah Dowse’s tradition of blending Eastern and Western influences, rendering recycled saris in varying styles: here, the vintage fabrics had been layered and cropped to embody the elegance of 70s glamour, draping, hugging and flowing in all the right places.

“It was important to use the saris at what they do best,” says Dowse. “They drape wonderfully and exuberate elegance and femininity. The Red Carpet collection does exactly that.” Dowse, a freelance designer, specialises in textile recycling; her previous clients include TRAID, Boxfresh, Urban Outfitters and Topman, as well as production and TV enterprises and The British Council.

Established in 2002 by Sital Punja, Sari was recently featured as one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ – leading British socially responsible entrepreneurs – in The Guardian. The fashion label acquires fabric from Indian women in the UK through the Save a Sari Campaign, and 10 per cent of its income goes to children’s charities in India. The company is also a keen supporter of ethical fashion, design and manufacturing in the UK.

Sari has already been championed by Cherie Blair, actress and comedienne Nina Wadia and Princess Tamara Czartoryski-Bourbon. The label will also be involved in The British Sari Story, an exhibition taking place in the autumn at Brent Museum in Willesden.

The Fashion and Textile Museum(FTM) is one of the highlights of the über-chic and arty Bermondsey “Village”. The building itself, designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legoretta, certainly makes an impression with its functional, yet almost futuristic, feel. Now part of Newham College of Further Education, the FTM is being developed into an Academy for Fashion, Textiles and Jewellery. Founder Zandra Rhodes is still in residence in the Zandra Rhodes Salon and is keenly involved in the museum’s aim to establish itself as a “creative hub”, inspiring and supporting new and existing businesses in the fashion and textile industries.