The event, held during Sustainable Fashion Day at Lakme Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI, featured seven finalists showcasing remarkable creativity. Other finalists included Wenyan Xu and Meng Wang (Saltless), Tsang Fan Yu, Silvia Acién (ACIEN), Gautam Malik (Jaggery), and Chandini Batra (A Blunt Story).

“I think essentially winning for us was just a matter of us getting to know what we believed in, and it is for others as well. The clothes that we make and the upcycling that we do, should encourage people of the next generation to believe that this is possible. I really thank everyone who has appreciated it,” Khanna said.

Since its inception in 2018, the R|Elan CDC has become a leading platform for emerging talent in sustainable fashion to showcase their circular innovations globally. In its 6th Edition, R|Elan CDC has travelled across the globe, partnering with global entities like the British Council, Istituto Marangoni, and Redress to scout the most exciting innovators. These journeys across continents hosted impressive juries attended by industry experts and key international media in London, Milan, Hong Kong, and Mumbai, all coming together to select the CDC Batch of 2024. Presented by R|Elan, the next gen fabric brand of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), in partnership with the United Nations in India, CDC is committed to promoting a greener and more sustainable future by fostering eco-conscious creativity that addresses the pressing issue of waste and the carbon footprint of the fashion industry.

The winner and runner-up will be mentored by Orsola de Castro, co-founder of Fashion Revolution & creative director of Estethica; and this influential partnership will provide invaluable guidance to the designers.

“At Reliance Industries, we are committed to pioneering sustainability. R|Elan CDC exemplifies our dedication to fostering innovation and circularity in the fashion industry. By identifying and supporting eco-conscious designers and incentivising 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,” Hemant D Sharma, president - polyester, Reliance Industries Ltd, said.

“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,” Shombi Sharp, UN resident coordinator, India, said.

“Together with R|Elan and the United Nations in India, we have made CDC 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,” Jaspreet Chandok, group vice president, Reliance Brands that organises Lakme Fashion Week in partnership with Fashion Design Council of India, said.

CDC partners across borders include British Council for the UK, Redress for Hong Kong/Asia Pacific, and Istituto Marangoni for the European Union.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with CDC for a second year, uniting with Reliance Industries and United Nations in India, to support the next generation of designers, who are championing a more inclusive, responsible and regenerative industry. We hope that this platform will act as a catalyst for creativity - showcasing a diversity of sustainable practices from across different geographies, as well as facilitating knowledge exchange around alternative fashion systems,” said Hannah Robinson, architecture design & fashion department, British Council.

“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 honoured to participate in the Asia-Pacific semi-final of this important initiative that recognises our talented designers of the future,” Dr. Christina Dean, founder and board chair of Redress, said.

“We are pleased to partner with CDC and Reliance Industries to host the second edition of the European selection chapter of the CDC. 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 honoured to participate in this year's CDC edition with our emerging Alumni Designers that effectively represent this mindset,” Stefania Valenti, managing director, Istituto Marangoni, said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)