ASHRAY GUJRAL The Designer & His Muses

Every fashionista has his label in their list of saved pages for its flattering designs and pocket-friendly prices. We catch up with the man behind the creativity to chat about his muses, inspirations and the tremendous success of his line

- NOOR ANAND CHAWLA

His enviable fashion legacy aside, Ashray Gujral has carved out a unique path for himself in the industry. The son of Seema Gujral, a popular designer of Indian attire, and Ashish Gujral, the proprietor of a high-end export house, Ashray established himself with a confidence that belies his young age.

“With the exposure I’ve had through my parents, I intrinsically knew clothes,” he shares. “I’d say, more than fashion, I knew garments — what feels good and what looks good on different people. This always thrilled me. It also made me question the lack of luxurious, unique, high-quality, and functional clothes in India. People who work in the fashion industry would go abroad to buy their clothes. I had a burning desire to rectify this situation. So one random night in September 2020, I decided to just go for it.”

Creating something of value was a secret dream that Ashray had harboured for many years. When his parents showed interest in supporting his vision, he was fully prepared with presentations, Excel sheets, and design ideas. Hence, it barely took three months for his ideas to come to fruition, and label Dash & Dot was digitally launched in the midst of a global pandemic. Even Ashray couldn’t have imagined the overwhelmingly positive response his work would receive in such a short span of time.

“My design mantra has always been ‘designed and not designer’ because the clothes must speak for themselves,” he explains. “Growing up, I felt this vacuum in the Indian market for products that offer access to luxury, high-quality good design, which was being served only by highly-priced international brands. This became my driving force. Indian body types weren’t being catered to much.”