Anushka Sanghvi - Slow Stitch

Interviewed by Ronika Bhatia

RB:. How did you balance the demands of your job while nurturing your personal brand?

AS:. At the beginning of 2026, I decided to be proactive. I didn't really know anyone in the London fashion industry, so I started reaching out to people whose work I admired - stylists, editors, influencers, anyone I felt might connect with what I was doing. I happened to message Dola, who was styling Masoom at the time. The process was incredibly collaborative. Dola had a very clear vision for Masoom's Cannes wardrobe, which gave me a strong creative direction while still allowing room to develop ideas, sketch, experiment and sample. What excited all of us was the possibility of presenting crochet in a context it hadn't occupied before. Something at the level of couture and on one of fashion's biggest stages. 

Many of the women I now work with crochet from their homes. They've been practising this craft for years, but because many come from conservative households, working from home is one of the few ways they're able to earn an independent income. That has always been something deeply important to me. At the London College of Fashion, I wrote my dissertation on the role of women artisans in India and how industrialisation has impacted traditional craft practices. While so much attention is given to established embroidery traditions, I often think about the women whose labour remains largely invisible - crafts like crochet and knitting create opportunities for them to participate in the creative economy while working within the realities of their circumstances. That's something I want my brand to continue supporting as it grows.

The making process itself was incredibly organic. My mum, who also crochets, became a huge part of it and we spent weeks creating different swatches and panels, experimenting with stitches, textures and structures before gradually bringing everything together into the final silhouette. Crochet has a life of its own; you can begin with a vision, but the yarn, the stitch and the way the fabric behaves often take the design somewhere unexpected. The timeline was intense - we had just over a month to complete everything before Masoom flew to Cannes via Dubai. That visibility changed everything for me - looking back, it was a combination of hard work, trust from the people who believed in me, and a little bit of luck coming together at exactly the right time.

RB: Was crochet always a part of your creative journey, or was it something you truly began to explore once you started studying fashion?

AS:. Creativity was something I grew up surrounded by. My grandmothers embroidered, knitted, sewed and painted, my mum has crocheted for years, and my dad worked in the textile industry. In hindsight, textiles were woven into my upbringing long before I consciously chose this path. I'd always been drawn to both fine art and fashion, and textiles felt like the perfect meeting point between the two. Studying Knitwear at the London College of Fashion expanded that perspective even further - it taught me to think of fabric not as something you source, but as something you create from the ground up - understanding stitch structures, yarns and construction completely changed the way I approached design, and crochet naturally became part of that exploration. I incorporated it throughout my final collection because I was interested in pushing its possibilities beyond what people traditionally associate it with.

I think knitwear, particularly in India, is still often viewed through a very narrow lens. People tend to imagine chunky winter jumpers, when in reality it's an incredibly versatile medium. Depending on the yarn, the stitch and the construction, it can be lightweight, sculptural, delicate and entirely suited to warmer climates. The same applies to crochet, which has been associated with domesticity or seen as belonging to an older generation. But I do also see a growing openness to seeing craft differently, and I'm excited to be part of that conversation.

RB: Fashion today often celebrates speed, constant newness and relentless production, whereas crochet demands patience, repetition and time. Do you see your practice as resisting the current pace of the industry?

AS: In many ways, yes. The nature of crochet means there simply aren't any shortcuts. Every piece is made by hand, so the process can't be rushed or automated in the same way as many other forms of production. That slowness isn't a limitation, but intrinsic to the craft itself. Increasingly, people are looking beyond novelty and beginning to value craftsmanship, longevity and emotional connection. When something has been made slowly, by hand, it carries a different kind of meaning. You understand the time, care and human labour behind it, and that creates a relationship with the garment that goes far beyond simply owning something new. That's the kind of luxury I want to contribute to - one rooted in craftsmanship, intention and lasting value rather than constant consumption.

RB: There's a real sense of structure and tension, but also an intentional use of negative space which is something that's especially significant when you're working with crochet rather than a solid textile. Does that change the way you think about your role? 

AB: I've always considered myself an artist first. Creating has always been the common thread, and fashion simply became the medium through which I could explore that. Because of that, I've never really separated designing, making and building, they've always been part of the same process

With this dress, we thought carefully about the garment's construction, the balance of negative space, the placement of each panel, the type of yarn and the stitch structures we used. Since crochet is worn directly on the body, you're constantly considering proportion, movement and how those open spaces interact with the wearer. It's a process of continuous experimentation, sampling and refinement

As the design evolved, so did many of those decisions. We carried out fittings, adjusted the construction, added lining where it was needed and kept refining the piece until everything felt right. Crochet isn't as straightforward as many people assume. When you're constructing an entire garment from it, there's a great deal of technical problem-solving involved. Designing the piece, building its structure and physically making it were all inseparable parts of bringing it to life, and simply different expressions of the same creative process.

RB: As the design developed, did the final dress end up looking very different from what you had initially imagined? 

AS: It actually evolved quite a lot. Choosing black was also a conscious decision. Crochet is often associated with white, lace-like pieces, which can lean towards bridalwear, and we wanted to move away from that and present crochet in a way that felt contemporary, refined and distinctly suited to the red carpet. My initial concept relied heavily on filet crochet, with side cut-outs and a much longer train. But once we began sampling, it became clear that the fabric wasn't communicating what we had envisioned. From there, the design became a process of experimentation, testing different lace stitches, exploring new constructions and  refining the garment until it felt right. In the end the dress evolved organically through sampling and making, the process itself became part of the design. I think that's one of the most beautiful aspects of working with crochet, it allows the garment to reveal itself as you make it.

RB: Over the last few years, we've seen a growing global interest in South Asian fashion and craft. As someone building a contemporary label, have you ever felt the expectation to express your heritage? 

AS: Growing up in a South Asian household, craft wasn't something I discovered later in life as it was simply part of my everyday environment and the way I understood creativity from a young age. Because of that, I've never approached my work feeling that I need to visibly communicate my Indian identity through obvious motifs or recognisable symbols. Of course, India's craft traditions are extraordinary and they're something I'd love to explore in the future.  Ironically, it was only after moving to London that I truly realised how unique those craft traditions are. Seeing Indian craftsmanship from a distance made me appreciate just how much knowledge, skill and heritage exists back home - things we sometimes take for granted because we've grown up surrounded by them.

The goal isn't to visually perform my culture, but to celebrate the craftsmanship that exists within it. Rather than creating work that explicitly signals "this is Indian", I'm more interested in allowing the techniques, the making and the values behind the work to carry that identity naturally. I think that's a much more honest reflection of who I am as a designer. India gave me the foundation, the connection to craft, heritage and making, while London gave me the space to experiment, develop and challenge how I approached design. Ultimately, my aim is for my work to exist somewhere between those two experiences: honouring where I come from while continuing to explore where design can go.

RB: Is there a particular misconception about crochet that you still find yourself having to challenge? 

AS: There’s often an assumption that because it’s traditionally associated with domestic spaces, it doesn’t belong in the same conversation as couture or luxury fashion. But when you look at what defines a couture garment, one of the key elements is the amount of time, skill and craftsmanship involved in creating it - the hours of labour narrative. The level of patience, precision and technical understanding required is no different from any other highly skilled craft process. Knitwear and crochet are incredibly technical disciplines. They involve understanding construction, materials, tension, structure and problem-solving in a very complex way. Unfortunately, I think these techniques haven't been explored enough within the Indian fashion space, which is partly why these misconceptions still exist. People often associate crochet with beachwear, craft markets or something more casual, rather than seeing it as a medium with the potential to create highly considered, elevated garments. 

RB: If someone encountered the Cannes dress, what would you hope they understood purely from the silhouette?

AS: More than anything, I would hope they connected with it emotionally. I don't believe a garment needs to be heavily embellished, overly dramatic or have an exaggerated silhouette in order to feel special. Sometimes the most meaningful pieces are the ones that allow the craftsmanship to exist quietly rather than making it the only thing you notice. Of course, the details, the construction and the time invested in creating the piece are important, but I wanted the silhouette itself to feel timeless and elegant. Ultimately, I want the person wearing my work to feel confident, comfortable and connected to the garment. The beauty of craftsmanship is that it doesn't always need to be immediately visible - it can be the way a piece falls, the way it moves, and the feeling it creates. I would hope that people could sense that care and intention within the garment, even without knowing the story behind it.

RB: Beyond the technique itself, do you think that kind of knowledge exchange between generations has shaped the way you understand craft, creativity and inheritance?

AS: When my mum taught me how to crochet years ago, neither of us could have imagined that it would eventually become such a defining part of my career. My grandmothers taught me stitching, embroidery and painting, not necessarily as formal lessons, but as shared experiences. They were passing down something they loved and something that brought them joy. Looking back now, I realise that they were also teaching me patience, curiosity, discipline and the value of creating something with my own hands, and that's what makes craft and art so meaningful to me. So much knowledge exists within homes and is passed down between generations without always being recognised as expertise. These practices carry memories, relationships and histories. They are forms of inheritance that go beyond something tangible -  they are ways of connecting with the people who came before us.

RB: There’s a sense of nostalgia and inheritance in your work, but the way you translate those references feels contemporary and almost futuristic. Looking ahead, what do you think the future of fashion looks like, especially as technology and digitalisation continue to reshape the industry?

AS: I'm interested in reinterpreting past references and finding ways to make them feel relevant for the women of today. The future of fashion will continue to move towards garments that feel personal and meaningful, pieces that tell a story rather than simply exist as disposable trends. So while my work is inspired by the past, I don't see nostalgia as looking backwards, but a way of carrying something forward and allowing history to continue evolving.

RB: Looking ahead as your label grows, and as you begin developing your collections, what is the one aspect of your practice that you are determined not to optimise, industrialise or compromise, even if doing so might make business sense?

AS: Integrity, which is the reason the product exists in the first place. I wanted to experiment, understand the materials and make sure that what I created genuinely represented what I wanted the brand to stand for. As the brand grows, I have to consider questions around production, scalability and how to create a sustainable business. The challenge I’m committed to is finding ways to grow while still preserving the handmade elements and craftsmanship that are at the heart of my practice. 

RB: If people look back at this dress and its debut at Cannes as the beginning of something bigger, what would you hope that “something” becomes?

AS: I would hope it’s remembered as the beginning of the journey, not the peak.  More than anything, it gave me confidence in my work, showing me that the ideas I had been developing and the craft I had been investing in could connect with people on a larger scale. I want to build a brand that feels timeless, that creates pieces people remember, connect with and genuinely want to wear. I also hope it contributes to changing the way people perceive crochet, knitwear and craftsmanship more broadly, as a valuable part of contemporary luxury and design.