For more than two decades, NIF Global Presents GenNext has been one of the places to watch when it comes to figuring out where Indian fashion could be headed next. The Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI platform has consistently used the initiative to give emerging designers a larger stage, connecting young labels with an industry audience of buyers, media, consumers and established fashion professionals. Across 41 editions, the programme has introduced more than 250 designers, with alumni including Rahul Mishra, Kunal Rawal, Rimzim Dadu and Aneeth Arora of Péro going on to build globally recognised labels.
For its 42nd edition, three names have been added to that growing list. Abhishek Chauhan Studio, Day and Age by Shreya Parasrampuria and Sharan Adka, and Subbah by Nimisha Diwakar have been selected as the latest GenNext designers. Their work spans bio-based materials, Kantha quilts, mythical creatures, Bengal’s Batik traditions and the visual chaos of Kolkata’s Mullick Ghat, giving the new cohort three very different ways of looking at craft, sustainability and contemporary design.
Abhishek Chauhan Studio
Based in Noida, Abhishek Chauhan’s winning collection, ALCHEMY-Nature × Craft × Technology, looks at sustainable luxury through the lens of innovation. The collection works with bio-based materials and pushes against the predictable visual language that often surrounds conscious fashion. Chauhan works on sustainability through architectural forms and a contemporary vocabulary, bringing together technology, craftsmanship and material experimentation.
For Chauhan, the GenNext win carries both personal and professional significance. “Winning GenNext is both humbling and empowering. It’s a dream come true and a reminder that passion, resilience, and authenticity can open extraordinary doors,” he says.
The collection’s combination of nature, craft and technology also places Chauhan within a growing generation of designers looking at sustainability through new materials and new forms rather than treating it as a separate category of design. ALCHEMY makes that exploration the foundation of the collection itself.
Day and Age by Shreya Parasrampuria and Sharan Adka
Jaipur-based label Day and Age, founded by Shreya Parasrampuria and Sharan Adka, takes a more surreal route with ‘Neither This Nor That’. The collection explores the shifting, plural nature of identity through mythical hybrid creatures, translating the idea of existing between different states into clothing.
At the heart of the collection are Kantha quilts, whose layered construction becomes a natural reference point for the collection’s ideas around multiplicity. Each quilt is made from layers of fabric, and the brand extends that quality into a collection that embraces identities, references and forms that can coexist at once.
For the designers, the GenNext recognition also came as an acknowledgement of the details that have shaped the label’s approach: “Winning GenNext still feels truly unreal. What feels especially rewarding is knowing that the little things we have always cared about, whether it be the extra effort that goes into the storytelling, the details in the garments, the research, and even the tiny Easter eggs that might otherwise go unnoticed, were seen and appreciated,” say Parasrampuria and Adka.
The designers add that the recognition comes at a point when they are proud of how far Day and Age has come and how much the brand has grown. That sense of building a distinct world around the clothes is central to ‘Neither This Nor That’, where the collection’s references extend beyond individual garments into a larger visual language.
Subbah by Nimisha Diwakar
Kolkata-based designer Nimisha Diwakar brings the city itself into focus with Subbah’s ‘Hustle and Hue’. Inspired by Mullick Ghat, where flowers have been part of Kolkata’s landscape since 1855, the collection turns to Bengal’s traditional Batik practice and reworks it through a contemporary lens.
The collection draws from the contrast within Mullick Ghat itself, translating its busy atmosphere and moments of calm into clothing. Diwakar also incorporates crab and batik motifs, creating a visual vocabulary that connects Bengal’s craft heritage with a more current design language.
For Diwakar, the GenNext win reinforces the direction she has been building with Subbah, “Winning GenNext is both an honour and an encouragement to continue building Subbah with purpose. It reinforces my belief that craft, storytelling and contemporary design can exist together and inspires me to keep creating work that brings greater visibility to India’s incredible artisan communities,” she says.
Together, the three collections give this year’s cohort plenty of range. Chauhan approaches sustainability through material innovation; Day and Age uses layered textiles and fantastical forms to explore plurality, while Diwakar looks to Kolkata’s cultural and craft landscape for a contemporary visual language. Their approaches may differ, but each designer has built a clear point of view around material, craft and storytelling.
The Jury Behind GenNext 2026
The three winners were selected by a seven-member jury comprising designers, editors, brand strategists and industry leaders. Designer Payal Khandwala brought her perspective from a long-standing practice in contemporary Indian fashion. At the same time, Ainee Nizami Ahmedi, Editorial Director of ELLE India, represented the editorial and fashion media perspective.
Tina Tahiliani, Executive Director of Ensemble India, joined the panel with her extensive experience in fashion retail and designer incubation. Author and Editor Priyanka Khanna brought her expertise in fashion writing and cultural commentary, while Brand Strategist and Mentor Sabina Chopra contributed her experience in developing creative businesses and mentoring emerging talent.
The jury also included Raisa Chakravarty, Head of Innovations at Lakmē, and Jaspreet Chandok, Group Vice President at Reliance Brands Limited. Together, the panel evaluated the participating collections across originality, storytelling, craftsmanship, technical execution and their potential contribution to the evolving landscape of Indian fashion.
With the 42nd edition now announced, Abhishek Chauhan Studio, Day and Age and Subbah have the NIF Global Presents GenNext platform ahead of them, along with the opportunity to take their respective design languages to a much larger audience. Their collections will debut on the Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI runway this October, adding three new perspectives to a programme that has spent more than 20 years looking for the designers who could shape what Indian fashion looks like next.
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The Future Of Indian Fashion: Meet The GenNext Winners Of Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI 2025
