The TIES That BIND

His obsession with fabrics has taken Peter D’Ascoli all over the world, but there is only one place he’s fallen in love with: India. Thirty-six years later, the textile maverick and print wizard sits down with his friend, designer David Abraham, to talk about how it all began.

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David Abraham: I feel like I’ve known you since the beginning of time [laughs].

Peter D’Ascoli: Actually, it’s only been about 35 years. The first time I came to India [D’Ascoli was born and raised in New York] was in 1982, the summer before my final year at FIT (Fashion Institute Of Technology, New York).

DA: Yes, and I was at NID (National Institute Of Design, Ahmedabad).

PD: I came with Hector Herrera, who was working with a handloom handicraft export council at the time, for the Festival Of India.

DA: Was it a summer job?

PD: It was. And they said that since I was studying textiles, I’d have to come back and work with them after I graduated. They were trying to market handwoven fabrics in New York.

DA: And what was going on in your head at that time?