CCI & FDCI reveal finalists of “Let's Design” Contest

“The caliber of entries this year is extremely high with some great non-traditional applications of cotton,” expressed Ms. Agnieszka Fijol, CCI’s program head of India. “Their designs show the true versatility of cotton fabric.”

Renowned designers Troy Costa and Priyadarshini Rao judged the entries and selected the regional winners.

“Cotton is India's heritage, and there has never been a fabric better suited to our lifestyles or mindsets,” exclaimed Priyadarshini Rao. “Creating awareness of this rich resource is a great way to take it forward for the generations to come. I am excited to see how innovatively the designers have handled cotton and have given it a new lease of life."

“Cotton mirrors people’s lives,” added Troy Costa. “It adapts to meet their needs, reflecting their strength and energy without losing their sensuality and individuality. Extravagance and comfort become one when creative tailoring meets cotton’s renowned qualities of breathability, strength and versatility.”

The top ten candidates from around India will be invited to Delhi, where they will face a series of design challenges that test their creative and technical skills. A panel of fashion industry experts will judge each challenge, with one or more designers eliminated in each round. The winners will receive1 million rupees and the chance to present at Spring/Summer 14 Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

Mr. Sunil Sethi, President of FDCI, noted that “having a regional round in every metro ensures that we get a good pool of entries from across the country, which in turn will help us in finding truly the best that India has to offer in terms of design talent.”

This pan-India initiative gives aspiring designers an opportunity to showcase their talent and creativity with the country’s most important textile fiber and the backbone of Indian fashion – cotton.“Let’s Design” has also been instrumental in creating pan-India consumer awareness about cotton, with season four generating visibility of over 400 million people in India.

“It’s exciting to see such innovation in cotton, and I think we can expect some great creativity in the final rounds of ‘Let’s Design,’” added Mr. Sachit Bhatia, CCI representative in India and judge.