Lakmē Fashion Week, in association with FDCI – India’s most majestic and magnificent fashion manifesto – is back with the October 2025 edition of NIF Global presents GenNext, and this year’s design champs aren’t here to disappoint. With each passing year, GenNext has introduced us to some of India’s most notable fashion connoisseurs, including Rahul Mishra, Masaba Gupta, Kunal Rawal, Aneeth Arora, and so forth.
Carrying this legacy forward, the winners of GenNext’25 have raised the bar even higher. Through their collections, these brands are keeping traditions alive and making sure that they honour timeless Indian craftsmanship and heritage, all while positioning Indian fashion onto an upward elevator.
First up under the spotlight is Anam Hussain, who debuted her eponymous label’s Autumn-Winter collection Cut-Putly. As the name suggests, the collection draws inspiration from Rajasthan’s traditional Kathputlis (puppets). The designer aimed at foregrounding and metaphorising the social issue of patriarchal dominance through the show of female puppets being controlled by male puppeteers. The silhouette-play included geometric forms, representing the tension between the puppet and the string, while the artistic and larger silhouettes depicted empowerment.
The thoughtfulness does not end here, as the designer has a heart-warming twist to this creation. The denim used for this collection has been sourced and re-purposed from 1000 kgs of local post-consumer waste, transforming it into wearable art. Patchwork, knitting, crocheting and hand-weaving techniques came together to create a visual spectacle – one that was as thought-provoking as it was beautiful.
Shifting our gaze to the next winner, Mohammed Anas Sheikh’s label 23°N 69°E, which unveiled its Kachchh-inspired creation rooted deeply in the region’s artisanal legacy. The collection highlighted Kala cotton – a rain-fed, pure and highly organic cotton, indigenous to the region of Kachchh. The designer kept the silhouettes easy and straightforward, allowing prints, textures and techniques to take centre stage.
The garments’ understated opulence was enhanced by the broken and worn-out Ajrakh blocks, symbolising the significance of age-old traditions and the beauty of imperfections. Intricate mirror work embroidery and a naturally dyed palette of indigo blues, madder reds, soot blacks and off-whites created a soulful harmony. A fun fact? Each single garment was hand-painted and printed by the creator himself, making each piece a labour of love, emotion and creativity.
Evoking waves of bittersweet memories and nostalgia, the third winner Gaach’s collection, titled “Recalling” was an ode to the songs of Rabindranath Tagore, particularly Purono Si Diner Kotha, which translates to “Memories of the old days”. The collection is a tender reflection on the transient nature of memories – how they fade, yet remain deeply cherished.
Gaach captures this emotion through eco-printing dried leaves on the canvas of natural silks such as eri silk, chanderi silk, pashmina silk, linen silk and corduroy. The collection was painted in shades of mustard, sage greens, blues, browns and corals, setting the perfect tone for this culture and emotion-inspired creation.
GenNext has always gifted India with pioneers of fashion, culture, and creativity, and this year’s emerging designers prove that the legacy is in safe hands. Upcoming designers don’t treat imperfections as a stumbling block but rather embrace them with creativity, innovation, and authenticity. Each one steps onto the runway with raw ideas and steps off as a storyteller, carrying Indian fashion forward with a flair of their own.