What Is Sizing Like at Ahluwalia?

Broadly, Ahluwalia runs true to size but relaxed. The house silhouette is roomy on purpose — think luxe sportswear, wide legs, easy shoulders. Take your normal size and you'll get the drape the designer intended. The one thing to watch is consistency: because pieces are often made from reclaimed and deadstock fabric, cut and weight can vary slightly from style to style, so the size guide on each individual product matters more here than with a mass-market label.

By category

T-shirts, polos & jersey: True to size with a slightly boxy, relaxed body. Most run S–XL. Take your usual size for the intended fit; only size down if you want it neater under a jacket.
Knitwear: Chunky and generous — the knits are a signature. They're meant to sit away from the body, so resist the urge to size up "for comfort." Your normal size already has room built in.
Tracksuits & sweats: The most relaxed part of the range. Cut for ease and movement. True to size, but if you're between two, the smaller of the two keeps the line cleaner.
Shirts: Roomier through the body and sleeve than a classic tailored shirt. If you like a trimmer shirt, this will feel loose — that's the design, not an error.
Jeans & trousers: Frequently wide-leg or straight, sold by waist or S–L depending on the style. Take your true waist; the volume is in the leg, not the seat.
Tailoring & outerwear: Modern, relaxed cut with soft shoulders. Room for a mid-layer without going up a size. True to size for most.

If you're between sizes

Want the intended relaxed look? Size up or stay true.
Want a cleaner, sharper line? Size down — especially on tees, tracksuits and knits.
Always check the model reference. Ahluwalia lists the model's height and the size worn on most products; that single line tells you more than any generic chart.

How to actually wear it

The mistake I see most often with print-led designer menswear is people trying to "balance" a bold piece with a second bold piece. Don't. With Ahluwalia, one hero item and everything else quiet is the winning formula.

Let the print lead. A wave-print jacket or knit is the whole outfit. Anchor it with plain trousers and clean trainers or a simple boot.
Match the volume. Relaxed top, relaxed bottom — an oversized knit over skinny jeans fights itself. Wide with wide, easy with easy.
Tone it back for daytime. If a full look feels like a lot, a single Ahluwalia knit over stone trousers reads elevated, not costume.
Mind the length. With wide-leg jeans, get the hem broken properly — a slight break, not a puddle. A £12 alteration transforms a £300 jean.

Brands to wear alongside Ahluwalia

Ahluwalia sits at the designer end, so the smart move is building around it — grounding pieces from the high street, kindred spirits from independents, and a few designer names that share its love of colour and craft. Here's who I'd pair it with, and why.

High Street — your grounding pieces

Percival: London-made character at an accessible price. Their playful knits and camp-collar shirts carry a fraction of Ahluwalia's boldness, so they sit happily in the same wardrobe. Fit is relaxed and true to size — a great everyday partner.
Farah: The go-to for coloured trousers and retro polos that echo Ahluwalia's palette without the outlay. Cut slightly trimmer, so these are your neat foil to all that designer volume.

Independent & Boutique — the kindred spirits

Wax London: The closest thing on the high-independent scene to Ahluwalia's spirit — sustainably minded, textured statement knits (the Dinamo cardigan is a cult piece), relaxed cuts throughout. Runs true to size with the same easy shoulder.
YMC (You Must Create): British, art-school-ish, quietly experimental. Prints, relaxed tailoring and clever fabrics that layer beautifully under an Ahluwalia piece. Generous fit — size down if you want it sharper.
Nicholas Daley: A true spiritual sibling — British-Jamaican-Scottish heritage, craft-led, colour-rich menswear. If Ahluwalia has pulled you in, this is your next discovery. Independent, considered, relaxed through the body.

Designer & Luxury — trading up

Wales Bonner: The obvious step across — British, heritage-led, culture-rich luxe with the same intelligence and relaxed elegance. Tailoring and knits cut clean but easy; take your true size.
Paul Smith: Britain's master of colour and print, and an Ahluwalia collaborator to boot. His tailoring runs slimmer and sharper, so it's the tailored counterpoint to Ahluwalia's ease — size up if you're between.
Marni: For the committed print-lover. Italian, bold, gloriously relaxed silhouettes in punchy colour. It fits large and loose by design — very much on the same wavelength.

The honest bit about designer sizing

Here's the thing no size chart tells you: every one of those brands measures differently. A medium at Percival, a medium at Wales Bonner and a medium at Ahluwalia are three different garments. Buy across labels the way most of us do now, and you're either guessing or drowning in returns. That's exactly the problem Tellar was built to solve.

Never look at a size guide again

Tellar is the UK's leading sizing tool — your body matched exactly to 1,500+ brands instantly. Measure once (bust, waist, hip, or just your usual size in a brand you already own), then get your precise size in any label — Ahluwalia, Wax London, Paul Smith and thousands more. It's free, needs no download, and works straight in your browser. Fewer returns, better-fitting buys, zero guesswork.

Find My Size — Store Size Lookup How to Measure

Beyond the tool, there's the Tellar Fashion Hub — a library of free posts from our stylists covering pretty much every fashion question you can think of. Style advice, top picks, best-in-class brands. Honest, unbiased, independent and always free. It's the same principle as this guide: real expertise, no sponsorship, no agenda — just help getting dressed well.

So next time an Ahluwalia knit catches your eye, you won't be squinting at a chart wondering if it'll swamp you. Check your size on Tellar, order with confidence, and let that print do the talking.

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Tellar is always honest, always unbiased and always unsponsored. We recommend brands on merit alone — never for payment.