Highlights
~ Announces finalists from EU, UK, APAC, and India jury sessions, set to compete for the prestigious award ~
~ The 6th edition of the R|Elan™ Circular Design Challenge will conclude at Lakmé Fashion Week, in partnership with FDCI, this October in New Delhi, India ~
Launched in 2018, the R|Elan™ Circular Design Challenge (CDC) has become a leading global platform for showcasing sustainable fashion innovations. This year’s edition spans the Asia-Pacific, European Union, and United Kingdom regions, culminating at Lakmé Fashion Week in New Delhi, India. Organized by R|Elan™, Reliance Industries Limited’s next-gen fabric brand, in collaboration with the United Nations in India, CDC promotes eco-conscious creativity to tackle waste and reduce the fashion industry’s carbon footprint. Since its inception, CDC has significantly advanced sustainable fashion in India, expanding globally last year. This year’s international jury rounds, held in Milan and Mumbai, selected finalists including Wenyan Xu, Tsang Fan Yu, Silvia Acién, Gautam Malik, Ritwik Khanna, and Chandini Batra.
Hemant D. Sharma, Sector Head – Polyester, RIL, stated, “At Reliance Industries, we are committed to pioneering sustainability. R|Elan™ Circular Design Challenge exemplifies our dedication to fostering innovation and circularity in the fashion industry. By identifying and supporting eco-conscious designers and incentivizing scalable circular solutions, we are working towards a greener future. Our efforts to reduce waste and inculcate sustainability in fashion reflect our broader goal of creating a circular economy that benefits both the environment and society.”
Mr. Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India, added, “Responding to the UN Secretary-General’s urgent call to ‘make peace with nature,’ the UN in India is a proud partner of the CDC. For its second edition, CDC is once again joining hands with our partners in the various regions, spotlighting designers and entrepreneurs who practice circularity and sustainability in the fashion and textile industries. Together, we are helping drive innovations in energy efficiency, closed-loop systems, and the use of ethically produced materials, ensuring that the social and environmental impacts align with one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”
The R|Elan™ Circular Design Challenge highlights key sustainability parameters for evaluation, such as biodegradability, durability, and multifunctionality of products. The jury assesses elements like energy efficiency, closed-loop systems, and the use of ethically produced materials to ensure alignment with one or more of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Finalists from the APAC, UK, and EU regions will be flown to New Delhi, India, in October to join Indian finalists in presenting their work to an esteemed jury at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI. The CDC winner will receive funding of INR 15 Lakhs, the CDC Trophy, a six-month mentorship program, and a standalone showcase at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI in March 2025. The runner-up will receive funding worth INR 5 Lakhs and mentorship.
The winner and runner-up will be mentored by Orsola de Castro, Co-founder of Fashion Revolution & Creative Director of Estethica, providing invaluable guidance to the designers.
Jaspreet Chandok, Group Vice President of Reliance Brands, which organizes Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India, said, “Together with R|Elan™ and the United Nations in India, we have made Circular Design Challenge India’s largest global award for sustainability and circular fashion. CDC pushes the needle on climate action by discovering and mentoring circular fashion designers and innovators, helping them scale, and empowering them to drive real impact. We envision transforming this platform into a global beacon of forward-thinking excellence, inviting groundbreaking partnerships worldwide.”
CDC’s international partners include the British Council for the UK, Redress for Hong Kong/Asia Pacific, and Istituto Marangoni for the European Union.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Circular Design Challenge for a second year, uniting with Reliance Industries and United Nations India to support the next generation of designers who are championing a more inclusive, responsible, and regenerative industry. We hope this platform will act as a catalyst for creativity – showcasing a diversity of sustainable practices from across different geographies and facilitating knowledge exchange around alternative fashion systems,” said Hannah Robinson, Architecture Design & Fashion department, British Council.
Dr. Christina Dean, Founder and Board Chair of Redress, commented, “We are delighted to support the CDC and Reliance Industries in hosting the second APAC jury event. Our mission at Redress is to educate and empower designers and consumers alike to pave the way for a circular fashion industry. As Asia is the world’s largest producer and consumer of textiles and apparel, our work is strategically Asia-focused, and we’re honored to participate in the Asia-Pacific semi-final of this important initiative that recognizes our talented designers of the future.”
Stefania Valenti, Managing Director, Istituto Marangoni, added, “We are pleased to partner with CDC and Reliance Industries to host the second edition of the European selection chapter of the Circular Design Challenge. As one of the leading educational institutions focused on fashion, our mission is to train the new generation of designers for creating a culture of circularity and sustainable fashion and an eco-conscious mindset. Thanks to the past collaboration of one of our notable Alumni Fashion Designer, Rahul Mishra, with Reliance Brands, who supported him because of his strong commitment to sustainability, we are honored to participate in this year’s CDC edition with our emerging Alumni Designers that effectively represent this mindset.”
Over the years, CDC has identified and supported exceptional innovators integrating fashion with environmentally friendly advancements. Notable winners include Without by Anish Malpani, recycling multi-layer packaging to make eyewear; I Was A Sari, upcycling discarded saris to empower women artisans; and Bandit, upcycling diverse materials into trendy eco-conscious products. Additionally, the platform has supported over 25 alumni through workshops and networking, gradually transforming the fashion ecosystem toward sustainability.
Wenyan Xu_Designer
Silvia Acién_Collection
TSANGFANYU_Designer
Details of the Jury rounds:
INDIA JURY MEET:
Jury Members:
1. Anaita Shroff Adajania: Celebrity Stylist and Costume Designer
2. Ambika Muttoo: Editor-in-Chief, Femina
3. Aparna Badlani: Creative Director, AZA
4. Karishma Shahani-Khan: Fashion Designer & CDC Design Mentor
5. Pranav Khanna: Incubator & CDC Business Mentor
6. Darshana Gajare: Head of Sustainability, Reliance Brands Limited
Participants and Winners:
Winners:
1. Jaggery | Reimaging Waste – Jaggery reimagines sustainability through innovative models like Product-as-a-Service (PAAS) and Sustainable Solutions through collaborations. They fight waste with fierce style, for example, upcycled car seat belts and rescued materials transform into eco-conscious bags. They empower communities, proving fashion can be a force for good that’s both stylish and sustainable. They draw inspiration from the stark beauty of brutalist architecture and the shadows of film noir. Jaggery’s minimalist aesthetic celebrates urban decay and finding beauty in imperfection.
2. A Blunt Story – A BLUNT STORY flips the script on footwear with sandals made from eco-friendly materials. They challenge traditional practices by using plant-based and recycled components throughout their designs. This socially conscious brand prioritizes both the environment and the people who make their shoes. They’ve developed unique materials – UNCRUDE®- soles made from renewable plants and agricultural waste, and UNWASTE™- uppers crafted from recycled materials.
3. Rkive City – Rkive, a research and design house, that disrupts the fashion industry’s reliance on virgin textiles. They champion a sustainable approach by upcycling post-consumer waste and transforming discarded garments through a unique textile revival system. This closed-loop process empowers artisans to extend the life of clothing and unlock its hidden potential, minimizing environmental impact. From tailored blazers to thoughtfully reworked Carhartt bags, they express creativity through denim and are unique in their own ways.
Participants:
4.Kalaa
5. Lafaani
6. Greensole
7. Econock
8. BioLeather & Foret & Atelier Anavo
ASIA-PACIFIC JURY MEET:
Jury Members:
1. Clare Press: Journalist, Author and Presenter
2. Vickie Au: Founder & Sustainable Fashion Consultant
3. Jennifer Whitty: Sustainable Design Systems Professor, Designer, Writer
4. Christina Dean: Founder, Redress
Winner:
1. Tsang Fan Yu (Winner) Tsang Fan Yu is a seasoned sustainable designer who upcycles renewable and waste materials in his designs, thereby reducing the need for virgin resources and diverting waste from landfills. He strives to create a closed-loop production system by incorporating recycled materials into their products and designing them to be easily repairable and upgradable, extending their lifespan and minimizing the need for disposal. By encouraging collaboration among stakeholders in the textile industry, including manufacturers and brands, they foster innovation and the adoption of sustainable practices to tackle textile waste comprehensively.
Participants:
2. Jesse Lee
3. Vu Ta Linh
4. Jasmine Leung
UK JURY MEET:
Jury Members:
1. Ella Bulley: Material Designer & Artist, Ella Bulley Studio
2. Jennifer Droguett Espinosa: Creative Director & Fashion Designer Anciela
3. Mark Eley – Programme Leader – Jimmy Choo Academy
4. Purnima Lamba: Global Brand Vice-President, Unilever (Beauty & Wellbeing)
5. Rachel Arthur: Sustainable fashion advocacy lead, UNEP
6. Sevra Davis: Director of Architecture, Design and Fashion, British Council
Winner:
1. Silvia Acién (Winner) Silvia Acién founded ACIEN, a regenerative knitwear brand using organic fibers like Himalayan nettle and pineapple yarn. ACIEN employs natural dyeing processes with invasive plants and bacteria to enrich fibers, ensuring effective biodegradation. The brand also preserves ancestral techniques from Silvia’s grandmother, blending farming, science, and fashion to connect past and future.
Participants:
2. DIJAGO – Gracey and Khadija
3. Kyle Ho
4. Eirinn Hayhow
5. Ranura Edirisinghe
6. Isabelle Pennington-Edmead
EU JURY MEET:
Jury Members:
1. Francesca Delogu: Fashion & Lifestyle Journalist
2. Sara Maino: Creative Director, Fondazione Sozzani
3. Francesco Fioretto: Research and Academic Director, Istituto Marangoni
4. Marina Spadafora: Sustainability Advisor, Professor & Author
5. Tiziano Guardini: Fashion designer
Winner:
1. Wenyan Xu (Winner) Founded by Wenyan Xu in 2019 and based in Milan’s Zone Lima, Saltless combines Italian vintage craftsmanship with sustainability. The brand offers vintage clothing and design services, sourcing items globally and locally. The new collection by Saltless, reimagines design by merging Eastern allure with European draping techniques and incorporating Indian elements.
Participants:
2. Katherine Scheel
3. Leyla Babayeva
Reliance Industries Limited
India’s largest private sector company, with a revenue of INR 10,00,122 crore (US$ 119.9 billion) and a net profit of INR 79,020 crore (US$ 9.5 billion) for the year ending March 31, 2024. Its operations include hydrocarbon exploration, petroleum refining, petrochemicals, advanced materials, renewables, retail, and digital services. Ranked 88th on Fortune’s Global 500 and 45th on Forbes Global 2000 for 2023, Reliance is the top-ranked Indian company in both lists. It is also the only Indian company featured twice on Time’s 100 Most Influential Companies list and ranks among Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” and LinkedIn’s “Top Companies” in India. Website:
R|Elan™
The next-gen fabric that has been created from specially engineered fibers and yarns using cutting-edge technological expertise, state-of-the-art R&D, and the robust testing systems of Reliance Industries. These smart fabrics have been designed to enhance comfort and aesthetics and it is being increasingly sought-after fabric by renowned domestic and global brands, retailers, and apparel manufacturers. The technologies that power R|Elan™ fabric imparts several attributes such as moisture management, odor-free, and thermal insulation while ensuring that they contribute something back to Mother Earth.
United Nations in India:
The UN system in India includes 26 organizations working under the Resident Coordinator, the UN Secretary-General’s representative, to promote the UN’s mission with support from the entire UN family. More details are available at india.un.org.
Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI
Lakmé Fashion Week, in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), is India’s premier fashion event, blending beauty, modernity, and personal expression. Since 1952, Lakmé has been a leader in India’s beauty industry, showcasing top talent and celebrating indigenous crafts. Reliance Brands supports young designers and sustainable initiatives, making this event a cornerstone of Indian fashion.
Istituto Marangoni: Founded in 1935 in Milan, Istituto Marangoni is a leading fashion, art, and design school. It has trained over 45,000 professionals, including notable alumni like Domenico Dolce and Alessandro Sartori. With campuses in major global cities, it ranks among the top 100 universities in its fields according to QS World University Ranking 2023.
The British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities, fostering global connections and understanding. It operates in over 100 countries with an outreach of 650 million people.
About Redress:
Redress is a Hong Kong-based charity focused on promoting circular fashion by educating and empowering designers and consumers to reduce fashion’s environmental impact. It works with various stakeholders to drive sustainability in the fashion industry.
