The unique collaboration between Mumbai-based artist and architect Kanhai Gandhi, and the founder of fashion brand LPJ Studios, Hedwig Bouley, is the meeting of craftsmanship and emotion, of art and sustainability. The pair began a fruitful partnership in 2018—christened Bouley Gandhi—and are passionate about initiating conversations about the wasteful and resource-intensive nature of the fashion design industry through their distinctive, hand-crafted wall art. Bouley Gandhi goes beyond a traditional sense of aesthetics in their offerings, bringing Gandhi’s architectural sensibilities and the doodles he created during a challenging phase to draw attention to his “profound connection to nature, human relationships, and a life rich with travel and exploration”. This intangibility and profound messaging are balanced by Bouley’s precise workmanship and noteworthy crusade against today’s throwaway culture. Bouley initially launched LPJ Studios to spread awareness around the beauty and endurance of sustainable design, repurposing textile remnants into charming home accessories.

Over the years, the partnership between the two has blossomed into a distinct language, where textiles and waste transform into meaningful, collectible artefacts. Each tapestry is unique, emotional and vibrant while being environmentally conscious. As detailed in an official release, the works are created through a meticulous felting process and are hand-finished in Italy, resulting in no two pieces being alike. At the outset of Milan Design Week 2025, Bouley Gandhi announced an exciting showcase at the iconic Galleria Rossana Orlandi.

Known for their campaigns towards motivating the next generation to come up with new and original uses for waste through programmes such as the RoPlastic Prize, the showcase at the collectible design gallery promises to offer a true meeting of the minds around the belief that beauty and responsibility go hand in hand. STIR speaks to the pair about the milestone of exhibiting in Milan during one of the most energetic times of the year, further exploring the start of their partnership, their design processes and the creativity that fuels their practice. Edited transcripts of the candid conversation with the pair follow.

Mrinmayee Bhoot: Perhaps we should start with you speaking about how the collaboration between these two very different fields—architecture and fashion—came about. Could you tell us more about it?

Kanhai Gandhi: It goes back almost 10 years from now. I started doing a lot of sketching and depicting my emotions in different mediums—sketches, photographs, etc. Then, in 2018, I bumped into LPJ Studios at the Maison&Objet in Paris, where we talked about how they were doing something exciting by using upcycling as a medium to do a lot of tapestries and plates. I thought their work was very intriguing.

That's the reason I went up to them, and we had a very long chat. I showed them all my sketches, and they were keen to pick one of them up, start working on it and translate the entire thing into an art piece. Then, exactly after a month, I visited them, and this is how it started; in a very nice, informal way. 

Hedwig Bouley: I think it was ten years ago because when I was in the fashion industry, there was always a discussion on a garment’s price. It had to be cheaper and cheaper. We had to do new collections every two weeks. And I said, no, I have to stop. I have three children. I didn't want them to live in a world like this. So, I began to select leftover fabrics from all the places I travelled. I carried these home, and we started to do different things, like our wall art objects, for example.

Kanhai: We are both very passionate about our work, so we didn't consider this as a business. We were keen to showcase what we were doing and create awareness about upcycling. Art was one good expression of it.

Mrinmayee: Could you elaborate on how your architecture or fashion design practices influence the art you’re creating together? There’s something quite striking in the work’s minimalistic quality, and I was wondering if that stems from an architectural understanding of the material.

Kanhai: As I said earlier, the entire—I wouldn't call it the process—but thought was influenced by my travels, which became quite intensive from 2014-2015. I spent a lot of time by myself on various flights and different journeys. And at the same time, the entire thing is linked to an emotional journey for me. In that manner, all the art has been penned in different formats.

For instance, the first one is about the fluidity of the mind. It’s a very abstract formation, but at the same time, it showcases a strong symmetry. And when I actually gave that to Hedwig to interpret it, the studio did a brilliant job. I think, when it comes to upcycling, the difficult part is working with what is available instead of buying new. You're actually trying to compose the entire thing in a creative manner.

Hedwig: It is an art technique developed in Gobelins, a new way to recycle that nobody else does as we do. When we get the sketches from Kanhai, we prepare all the material in our studio. We cut it and sew it and so on. All this raw material is then sent to special artisans in Italy, where they work with a needle punch machine. The technique the Italian designers use is their well-kept secret, but once that comes back to us, we do little stitches and add other embellishments.

Kanhai: Initially, we were not too sure about how to take it forward. We had a few textile artworks. Mostly, the art was translated depending on where it would be shown. If more of it were in Europe, the colour scheme would be different. Patterns were slightly different. And when it came to India, we thought we could add more colour to it. Over time, this mindset has also evolved.

Hedwig: Yeah. But also the dialogue between India, Germany and Europe was so interesting. Initially, it was difficult for me and Kanhai to understand each other due to differences in language. It was more of the design and the graphics, which acted as a medium, and started the dialogue between the two of us.

Mrinmayee: How did you refine the textile designs over the many years you’ve worked together?

Kanhai: I think the process of refinement naturally happens once the sketches and the photographs are shared with her, since they are all based on different intangible subjects—emotions and concepts ranging from fluidity and hope to despair. So when those sketches are given to her, she makes these small mockups. Then, she begins to improvise. For example, one of the art pieces takes inspiration from a staircase to symbolise how you rise from the bottom.

When that was transformed into a tapestry, Hedwig added a very interesting detail. She took a piece of thread that goes around the canvas, and then it just hangs. Some may question whether the work is complete or incomplete, but it allows for interesting interpretations.

Mrinmayee: Do you think the work you are creating is helping raise awareness of sustainability and upcycling?

Hedwig: This is a big question because I think upcycling and repairing will be the future. We need to make it the norm instead of producing new products. We live in a world with limited resources and must be extremely cautious about this. If you open Instagram, feeds are full of images and videos of the massive amount of waste the fashion design industry produces. It’s terrible. So I think this cannot be possible in the future.

In the past, when you worked on recycling projects, people were more sceptical. To them, it was old and ugly, not desirable. Today, there is a reality check in place. Everyone is more aware of their consumption, and that’s a conversation we are actively contributing to. Yes, we do make old stuff nicer. This is what everybody has to do. We know where we are, and we have all seen what it means to waste in just the last couple of years. If we can contribute to making people more aware of different practices for regeneration, it is important to do so.

Kanhai: I’d like to share our conversation with the Consul General of India in Milan. He believed our work was very different and had a novel concept. He said: In our parents' generation, when a father wore a shirt, he would pass it down to the eldest son, and eventually, it would be handed down to the youngest. In a way, upcycling happened naturally. But today, with changing lifestyles and fast fashion trends, that practice has disappeared. You just throw your garments away, and everyone buys new things constantly. That's exactly where people need to rethink.

Mrinmayee: To close, could you tell us about your showcase for Milan Design Week 2025?

Kanhai: We happened to be given the lead to meet Rossana Orlandi some time ago. We had a couple of meetings with the gallery and showed them our art from last summer. And when they saw it, they were very keen on doing something together. They are renowned for working with upcycling, too, be it fashion, furniture, lights, etc. They saw that using upcycled material, like fabrics, was an expression of art, which we automatically thought fit into their curation.

Hedwig: We talked about trying to consume better. These were crucial conversations. Everybody knows Rossana, and everybody wants to go to her because she is one of the first women who, like me, was a designer for knitwear in the past. She also said we have to do something new with this old stuff.

Kanhai: For Milan Design Week, we have made a few new pieces, which are expressed as textile works with faces. Some were made during the pandemic. They’re trying to depict the moment where you are actually trying to take your last breath, essentially how you would need to survive. That was one thing. The other was to highlight the destruction caused by ongoing conflicts across the world.  There's an expression of a face with the colours black and gold showing a couple, which shows evil and greed. At the same time, there is a work in red and gold, representing how we lived in harmony rather than in strife. It's a part of our story. We wanted to show that along with what we’ve done in the past.

Works by Bouley Gandhi are part of the showcase for RoCollectible 2025 at Galleria Rossana Orlandi from April 7 - 13, 2025.

Keep up with STIR's coverage of Milan Design Week 2025, where we spotlight the most compelling exhibitions, presentations and installations from top studios, designers and brands. Dive into the highlights of Euroluce 2025 and explore all the design districts—Fuorisalone, 5Vie, Brera, Isola, Durini, and beyond—alongside the faceted programme of Salone del Mobile.Milano this year.