LFW jury for Circular Design Challenge chooses five finalists

The Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020 edition being held from 12 to 16 February is holding a live final for its Circular Design Challenge on Thursday. At the final, the jury will asses live pitches and proof of concepts from a group of five finalists and choose a winner who will receive funding and mentoring to help them scale up their sustainable fashion brand.

The jury features content director, sustainability at Neonyt Max Gilgenmann; programme manager for the United Nations Environment Programme Divya Datt; editorial director for Paper Magazine Mickey Boardman; creative director of clothing brand Abraham & Thakore David Abraham; and Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India founder and Shoppers Stop chairman BS Nagesh.

The Circular Design Challenge sees LFW collaborate with Reliance Industries’ sustainable textile brand R Elan and the United Nations. Ahead of the final, the five shortlisted designers and brands have been undergoing mentoring by a group of fashion leaders including style mentor Ekta Rajani, business pitch mentor Siddharth Lulla, and personality mentor and show director Neeraj Gaba, R Elan announced on Facebook.

The finalists include Varsha Rani, founder of clothing brand Off-Grain which uses dead stock and old yarn and blankets to create clothing. Finalist Mallika Reddy, founder of Cancelled Plans, creates lifestyle accessories from high-grade waste materials.