Eight talented fashion entrepreneurs have been shortlisted for the ‘Circular Design Challenge’ -India’s first sustainability award in fashion.
A collaborative brainchild of Reliance Industries Ltd.’s (RIL) R | Elan ‘Fashion for Earth’ initiative, Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) and the United Nations (UN) in India, the ‘Circular Design Challenge’ has selected eight designers among a pool of 900 registrations received from over 30 cities across pan-India.
Chosen based on innovative collections presented by them pertaining to the theme, the participating designers incorporated the use of materials extracted from various sources of waste including plastics.
“Total greenhouse gas emissions from textiles production, at 1.2 billion tonnes annually, are more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Creative approaches such as The Circular Design Challenge are a perfect opportunity to promote sustainable textile production and consumption and accelerate sustainable development in general.” – Atul Bagai, UN Environment, Country Head, India
Pozruh by Aiman Sabri, Bareek by Aman Singh, IRO IRO by Bhaavya Goenka, I Was A Sari by Poornima Pande & Stefano Funari, Lifaffa by Kanika Ahuja, Saltpetre by Pooja Monga, Miesu by Seerat Virdi and Doodlage by Kriti Tula, will be now be mentored across personality, pitch and presentation development for a final round.
“We are committed to bringing new design talent and innovators to the fore season-on-season. Our partnership with the UN in India and R | Elan’s Fashion for Earth initiative for the Circular Design Challenge is a step towards identifying and supporting champions in the field of sustainability.” – Jaspreet Chandok, Vice President and Head of Fashion at IMG Reliance
Scheduled to take place on 31st January 2019 during the Sustainable Fashion Day at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer Resort 2019, the round would see a concluding winner being elected by an esteemed jury panel.
The winner will be awarded a Grand Cash Prize of Rs. 20 Lakh, which will enable them to build their sustainable fashion brand, along with an exclusive opportunity to showcase their collection at the next edition of Lakmé Fashion Week – the Winter/Festive 2019 season.
“As an industry leader in petrochemicals, RIL has embraced circularity and sustainability in our core values and operations, aiming to make the world a better place for the generations to come. We are confident that the Circular Design Challenge will help the entire Indian textile value chain to become a global leader in ingraining circularity in their business strategy and operations,” – Vipul Shah, COO – Petrochemicals, Reliance Industries Ltd.
Circular fashion aims to reduce the waste that goes into landfills and increase the lifespan, reusability and recyclability of the products being created. The initiative intends to bring to the forefront, environmental champions of tomorrow in the Indian fashion and textiles industry.