The 4 Gen Next Stars Who'll Debut At Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020

Do you know what Aneeth Arora, Rahul Mishra, Masaba Gupta, and Nachiket Barve have in common? They all debuted their first collection at the Gen Next program of the Lakme Fashion Week. The 'Gen Next program, for starters, has been one of the most coveted designer talent discovery programs and has also been a launchpad to a lot of well-known designers today. These then, have become stars of their own right, launching their own labels, even e-commerce sites. “Discovering talent is one of the most critical pillars of Lakme Fashion Week. The Gen Next program is a testament to the platform’s commitment towards identifying, nurturing and promoting young designers who will define the face of tomorrow’s fashion. We look forward to seeing the 29th batch showcase their creations on the runway this season,” Ashwath Swaminathan, Head of Innovations, Lakme said in a statement.

The event that is going to take place from 12th to 16th of February this year, will showcase four fresh faces chosen amongst 300 odd few, namely, Akhil Nagpal, Ananya Modi Jain, Mannat Sethi and Harshna Kandhari and Chadrima Agnihotri at the coveted Summer/Resort 2020. Here's a peek into their collection and what this young talent has in store for us...

AKHL By Akhil Nagpal 

A Central Saint Martins graduate, Akhil Nagpal’s label is said to be inspired by tensile architecture, art installation, industrial equipment, and manmade membranous objects. His label is also set to influence highly from cutting edge fabric which uses rayon and silk, with a high emphasis on the cut and silhouette. The collection is also highly influenced by the art deco structures that are par excellence.

ALL 2 DEFY By Ananya Modi Jain

One look at Ananya Jain's Instagram account will already tell you that she is a celeb favourite. Her clothes have been worn by Neil Nitin Mukesh, even PV Sindhu! With a master’s degree from Istituto Marangoni, Milan, Jain's collection specialises in ready-to-wear couture that can be worn as part streetwear too. Her label, in short, is a beautiful amalgamation of style, form, and function.

Graine By Mannat Sethi and Harshna Kandhari

Mannat Sethi and Harshna Kandhari's collection will showcase creations inspired by Indian sweets, namely, Kaju Katli. She has also infused her designs with some unusual materials such as discarded rubber, hand-cut into strips and forms, embellished with Zardozi handwork. No wonder the duo dressed model and actress Diana Penty at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019!

Chandrima By Chandrima Agnihotri 

Highly inspired by the varied embroidery style by the Jat community of Kutch, the collection focusses more on the cultural diversity and folklore of India. To us, it looks like a love letter to Indian crafts, hand-embroidered with love.

We are proud of these artistes and applaud them for keeping up with the good work. We are sure they are stars in the making and have a shiny future ahead of them.