FDCI launches latest Circular Design Challenge with R|Elan, UN

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Dec 20, 2021

The Fashion Design Council of India has opened entries for the next season of sustainable fashion award Circular Design Challenge in collaboration with sustainable textile business R|Elan and the United Nations. 

The Circular Design Challenge, which describes itself as, “India’s Largest Award for Sustainable Fashion,” is looking for India’s next crop of designers who will lead sustainable innovation in the industry. The award is also part of the United Nations Environment Programme in partnership with the United Nations in India, the FDCI announced on Facebook. 
 
This year, applicants have been challenged to find design solutions for managing waste and pollution to ensure the, “regeneration of biodiversity while making a social impact,” said the FDCI. Winners will feature at the upcoming season of FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week, a collaboration which came about during the pandemic. 

The FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week has also launched applications for an upcoming edition of its Designer Program to support up-and-coming fashion brands. The designer incubator initiative has launched many prominent designers in India and winners have the opportunity to showcase their work on the runway. 
 
The FDCI has also been running humanitarian initiatives to aid craftspeople affected by the pandemic and its latest aid distribution drive was in Jharkhand. 

“The pandemic has affected every sphere of our lives, but the worst hit is the rural areas which are inhabited by the most talented weavers, taking away their only source of sustenance,” the FDCI announced on Facebook.

“Through a young FDCI designer member, Ashish Satyavrat Sahu, the FDCI extends support to the weavers of Simdega, Jharkhand. Handloom weaving has been an inherent and traditional heritage of the Mehar community, passed down with honour from one generation to another. The FDCI shows it cares through this small drop in the ocean.”