Sustainability Award –The Circular Design Challenge (CDC) Goes International and Announces 6 Finalists 

Circular Design Challenge (CDC – India’s largest award for Circular Fashion) has announced its worldwide expansion that culminates at the upcoming season of Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI. Presented by R|Elan^TM, the next-gen fabric brand of India’s largest conglomerate –Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), in association with the United Nations in India, CDC aims towards a greener and more sustainable future globally by promoting the eco-conscious creatives of the fashion industry.

This year, the competition spanned across the UK, EU, and APAC regions, in addition to India, extending invitations to designers around the world. 6 finalists have been shortlisted from the global jury rounds- APAC: Pei-Wen-Jin; UK: Amesh Wijesekera; India: Riddhi Jain & Dhruv Satija (Studio Medium), Jinali Mody & Arundhati Kumar (Banofi & Studio Beej), Anish Malpani (Without). 

Pei-Wen Jin from Taiwan was announced finalist from APAC region whereas ‘Studio Medium’ by Riddhi Jain & Dhruv Satija, ‘Banofi’ + ‘Studio Beej’ (Consortium) by Jinali Mody & Arundhati Kumar and ‘Without’ by Anish Malpani were announced as the 3 finalists from India edition.

From the UK Jury meet, it was Amesh Wijesekera, Sri Lankan designer based in London that made it to the finals and Felipe Fiallo was the finalist from the EU jury meet.

The finalists from APAC, UK and EU jury will be flown to New Delhi, India in October where together with India finalists, will pitch their work to an esteemed jury at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI. The CDC winner will receive funding worth INR 15 Lakhs, CDC Trophy, and a six-month mentorship program, along with a stand-alone showcase at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI in March 2024. 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; this influential partnership will provide invaluable guidance to the designers. She will also conduct a masterclass for all the finalists.

Jaspreet Chandok, Group Vice President, Reliance Brands that organizes Lakme Fashion Week in partnership with Fashion Design Council of India said, “After witnessing the growing participation and appreciation for CDC over the last five years, taking CDC to the global stage aligns perfectly with our vision of promoting sustainable fashion worldwide. Together with R|Elan™ and the United Nations in India, we have elevated the Circular Design Challenge to become the biggest sustainability platform within the country. As we move forward, our focus is on making this platform an even greater success on an international scale, alongside our global partners and welcome creative minds from around the world join us in our mission to promote sustainable fashion.”

Ameeh Wijesekera; 

Felipe Fiallo

Pei Wen

Studio Beej

Studio Medium

Without India

INDIA JURY MEET

Jury Members:

1. Karishma Shahani Khan: Fashion Designer
2. Shweta Shiware: Columnist and Journalist
3. Rakesh Bali: Senior Vice President – Head Marketing, Reliance Industries Limited
4. Pranav Khanna: Business Mentor & Consultant
5. Darshana Gajare: Head of Sustainability, Lakme Fashion Week
6. Aparna Badlani: Creative Director, Aza

Participants:

1. Without (finalist)
2. Banofi + Studio Beej (finalist)
3. Studio Medium (finalist)
4. Aradhita Parasrampuria
5. Bodements
6. Lafaani
7. Janvi Gohel

ASIA-PACIFIC JURY MEET

Jury Members:

1. Christina Dean: Founder, Redress
2. Shaway Yeh: Founder Yehyehyeh & Group style Editorial Director, Modern Media Group
3. Christine Tsui: PhD author of China Fashion
4. Kelvin Wan: Founder Cycle Fashion
5. Bandana Tewari: Sustainability Activist & Journalist

Participants:

1. Pei-wen Jin (finalist)
2. Ngọc Hà Thu Lê
3. Nawoda Bandara
4. Louise Lau
5. CJ Martin

UK JURY MEET

Jury Members:

1. Phoebe English: Fashion Designer
2. Sevra Davis: Director of Architecture Design and Fashion, British Council
3. Sarah Ditty: Senior Programme Manager, Labour Rights at Laudes Foundation
4. Daniel Whitley: Design and Innovation Manager, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
5. Megan Doyle: Sustainable fashion journalist & consultant
6. Wilson Oryema: Lead at Austron Research, Artist, Writer

Participants:

1. Amesh Wijesekera (finalist)
2. Clara Chu
3. Namita Khade
4. Mariah Esa

EU JURY MEET

Jury Members:

1. Francesco Fioretto: Research and Education Director, Istituto Marangoni
2. Francesca Delogu: Fashion & Lifestyle journalist
3. Marina Spadafora: Sustainability Advisor, Professor and Author

Participants:

1. Felipe Fiallo (finalist)
2. Gian Marco Caggiari
3. Elisa Nencioni
4. Margherita Batelli