FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week is back again this season with their one-of-a-kind programme – ‘NEXA presents The Spotlight’.

The 2nd edition of the programme sees designers Naushad Ali of label Naushad Ali, and label SWGT take the winning cup after going through a competitive selection process.

Designers from all across India were invited to participate in the programme by presenting their collections along with the idea and concept of a fashion film via a virtual presentation in front of an esteemed jury comprising industry experts.

The final round saw nine shortlisted designers including Alan Alexander Kaleekal for his label Kaleekal; Santanu Das for his label MAKU Textiles; Naushad Ali for his label Naushad Ali; Resham Karamchandani for her label Pot Plant; Sreejith Jeevan for his label Rouka; Salita Nanda for her label Salita Nanda; Riddhi for her label Studio Medium and SWGT.

Each of the designers was given the task to interpret the theme ‘Euphoria’ in line with NEXA’s ‘create, inspire’ ethos in their submissions.

The winning designers have been given an opportunity to shoot and create their fashion film, which will be showcased at the upcoming FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week in October 2021.

The jury that was part of the selection process included Shashank Srivastava – Senior Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited; Ram Suresh Akella – Executive Director, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India Limited; Sunil Sethi – Chairman of FDCI; Jaspreet Chandok – Head, RISE Fashion & Lifestyle; Raghavendra Rathore – Fashion Designer; Rooshad Shroff – Architect & Interior Designer and Priyanka Khanna – Fashion Features Director, Vogue India.

“At NEXA, we believe in constantly evolving in our journey of providing world class lifestyle experiences and technology to our customers. Through the 2nd edition of ‘NEXA presents The Spotlight’ we endeavour to bring to the fore the most creative minds in the fashion industry, which resonates with our core philosophy of ‘Create, Inspire’. We’ve been overwhelmed with the innovative concepts received from all the finalists and are delighted for Naushad Ali and SWGT for emerging as the winners. Both their creative inspirations are about journeys, and we look forward to helping them bring their creativity and innovation to life through this association,” Shashank Srivastava – Senior Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said.

Naushad Ali’s winning presentation is all about seeking answers to a new path. Dubbed ‘Getting out there- A ride through the dawn’, it’s a story of a free-spirited girl who is breaking all the ground rules. It essentially is a road to oneself, a drive towards dawn.

With his SS/FW’21 collection, the 34-year-old designer from Pondicherry has re-interpreted Indian weaving techniques, brought multi-coloured bold strokes of Jamdani in textured cotton, large scale irregular checks, and variegated stripes in a plethora of natural colours.

SWGT’s winning presentation takes inspiration from Shweta Gupta’s childhood experiences and local histories of Almora, where the 34-year-old designer was brought up.

Her label SWGT reflects the connection between the mountains, people and its culture where the muse is personified as a seeker, wanderer, gatherer and thinker.

This season’s collection sees the designer depict the folds of mountains and waterfalls around us, and the techniques used while creating her ensembles are inspired by the cuts of the Himalayan Ranges.

The Chanderi textiles from Central India used to create her pieces are a derivative of the play of light with these mighty forms.

Commenting on the same, Jaspreet Chandok – Head, RISE Fashion & Lifestyle said, “We at FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week believe that the new and emerging crop of designers have the power to define the future of fashion. And the second edition of ‘NEXA presents The Spotlight’ showcases our commitment towards providing them a platform to showcase their work. Each of the shortlisted designers had stellar creations and I would like to congratulate each one of them. For the first time, we have selected two designers as the winners for ‘NEXA Presents The Spotlight’ and are extremely excited to see what Naushad Ali and SWGT will create for their audience.”