Aneeth Arora bags Vogue Fashion Fund award

Designers Aneeth Arora and Payal Pratap Singh are the

winners and runner-up respectively at the first Vogue Fashion Fund in India among the six finalists including Amit Aggarwal, Nitin Bal Chauhan, Pankaj and Nidhi and Rahul Mishra. India’s first Vogue Fashion Fund, in association with Westside and Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), began as a nationwide hunt spanning over 5 months. Among the 125 designers who applied for coveted Rs 25 lakh award 27-year-old Arora walked away not only with the prize money but the opportunity to commercialize her brand Péro with leading retailer Westside, her own show at Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week and a one-year business mentorship under an industry professional.

Péro, having deep Indian roots, sustainable production and a commitment to cotton craft that translates to wearable femininity and simplicity won the selector’s mandate. This student of the National Institute of Design and National Institute of Fashion Technology created a capsule collection and a sound business plan, which successfully passed through the rigorous judging process.

Designer Payal Pratap Singh’s traditional tribal costumes of the Thar Desert in Gujarat in multi-coloured geometric embroideries and detailed patchworks handmade by tribals also impressed the judges.