CULTURE IS BRAND, BRAND IS CULTURE The business of style, in particular, thrives on appropriation and appreciation .I have always believed well-intentioned appropriation along side appreciation can be a force for good, creating a cultural exchange and enriching the available vocabulary for artists like myself and many others. It can be an engine that drives culture forward and breaks down borders and divisions, rather than dividing them. When Chinese designer Guo Pei looks to the Imperial history of her countrymen and exaggerates and romanticises it to brilliant effect, the results are profound, and non-Chinese designers should be free to do the same. Without the freedom to embrace fantasy, curiosity and interpretation, borders remain closed and the codes of stereotypes remain intact — and what could be more regressive than that? Just as languages grow through the inclusion of foreign words, so too is the network of images, crafts and references enriched by exchange and credited well referenced appropriation. Cultural evolution and creativity depend on it. I see culture as the connections, influences and embedded codes that make us who and what we are as both individuals and collectives. Culture is the basis for meanings to be created and it enables these meanings to be shared. Culture is the codes, rules and norms that underpin the thoughts, actions and outcomes of everyday life and as a designer it is impertaive to my delivery. Culture is complex, multi-faceted and difficult to pinpoint, at times it can be slow moving and residual whilst also in a state of constant flux, so making sense of it is often easier said than done. Irrespective of the challenges as a brand it's extremely important for me to keep the core culture of what I am trying to potray in the centre of everything I do. #ayushkejriwal #designerayushkejriwal #ayushkejriwalstory #saree #sari #benarsi #patolasarees #ayushkejriwalpatolas













