About
Designer, Researcher, Cultural Practitioner.
Ashna Patel is a designer, researcher, and cultural practitioner investigating the intersections of craft, culture, and land within regional textile economies. Her practice is rooted in heritage materials, decentralised systems, and community well-being. She has collaborated with organisations across Europe and India, moving fluidly between making and systems thinking: developing cloth and clothing while also engaging in research, writing, and strategy that support resilient, place-based economies.
Since 2019, Ashna has been deeply engaged with Khadi London, a not-for-profit knowledge hub dedicated to regenerative fibres, textiles and systems. She contributes to diversifying educational curriculums, facilitating cross-cultural design & research collaborations, and organising knowledge-based events that bridge cultures, geographies, and materials. Khadi London’s work places considerable importance on collaboration, intangible heritage, and social and environmental uplift.
Alongside this, Ashna contributes to Selvedge, a leading international, design-led magazine, curating global gatherings that celebrate cloth, culture and community.
Fulfilling Experiences & Roles
· Director
Khadi London – London, UK (January 2023–Present)
· Educator
Istituto Marangoni, MA Sustainable Fashion & Systems – London, UK (Jan–Nov 2024)
· Curator & Event Manager
Threads of Change at The Nehru Centre – London, UK (2023)
· Project Manager
Khadi London & Chelsea College of Arts (University of the Arts) – London, UK (June–Oct 2023)
· Design & Production Co-ordinator
Kullvi Whims – Himachal Pradesh, India (Aug 2022–June 2023)
· Self-directed Field Research
India (April–June 2022)
· Contributing Author
The Design School in Sustainable Transitions, Lab for Sustainability at Design School Kolding (2022)
· Design Research & Development
Det Vilde Spinderi – Odsherred, Denmark (March–Dec 2021)
· Designer
Anneberg Kulturpark – Odsherred, Denmark (Jan–March 2021)
· Artist-in-residence
KunstKollektivet 8B – Odsherred, Denmark (2021)
· Contributing Author
Handloom Sustainability and Culture, Springer Nature (Nov 2020–Jan 2021)
· Design Research & Development
Khadi London – London, UK (Feb–Aug 2020)
· Research Assistant
Lab for Sustainability at Design School Kolding – Kolding, Denmark (Jan 2019–June 2020)
· Contributing Author
The Quiet Movement of Conscious Design, Cellophane Magazine (2019)
Education
· MA Design for Planet (spec. Textile)
Design School Kolding – Denmark (2018–2020)
· BA Hons Menswear: Design & Technology
London College of Fashion – London, UK (2015–2018)
Grants & Awards
· New Landscapes India: Fashion, Textiles and Technology Research & Development (Khadi London)
British Council & Fashion, Textile and Technology Institute – London, UK (2024)
· Future Friendly Fashion Awards: Talent of the Year
Salling Group – Copenhagen, Denmark (2020)
· Statens Kunstfund (The Danish Art Foundation) – Copenhagen, Denmark (2021)
Showcase
· Circular Khadi, Reimagining Material Impact: Indigenous to New-Age
Bharat Tex – Delhi, India (2025)
· Circular Khadi, Making Matters
British Council India – Delhi, India (2024)
· From Near, Not Far, Threads of Change
The Nehru Centre – London, UK (2023)
· Conscious, Collaborative Clothing, Festival of Natural Fibres
Craft Central – London, UK (2022)
· From Near, Not Far, Rhizom Relation 22
Pakhuset – Nykøbing Sj, Denmark (2021)
· Ode to Felt, Odsherred dresses you - Odsherred klær dig
Anneberg Kulturpark – Nykøbing Sj, Denmark (2021)
· Conscious, Collaborative Clothing, Postgraduate Showcase
Koldinghus – Kolding, Denmark (2020)
· Lands of One People, Undergraduate Showcase – London (2018)