The “icing on the cake” for Ashish N Soni’s 30th anniversary show was that he could celebrate it physically at the FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week, in New Delhi, on Friday. “We have been locked up for two years and I just put in all the energy of four shows into one show. Very good to be back physically,” he told us post-show.

The designer known for his love for blacks, explored a plethora of colours for the first time in his career. “It’s possibly the only show that I have done in 30 years where there’s been no black. A lot of the people, critics… have said… ‘oh he is colour-blind’. I just thought that this is the big anniversary year and let me do things people think I can’t do,” he said.

Ashish packed the show with a lot of prints. From geometric to florals, wrapping up with a neon colour-blocked sequence. “The last two years have been so difficult for all of us. I just wanted a burst of colour in everyone’s lives,” he added.

Formals and boardroom basics were given a fun twist with colours and prints. There were summery powdery pastels in soft romantic hues. “The whole floral story is strong in terms of trends, plus it is the whole quotient of happiness. We have realised in the last two years that we desire that now more than anybody, anywhere and we have learnt to access happiness in easy ways compared to two years ago. It’s all about spreading that love,” he signed off.