CRCLE by Varshne Wins R|Elan Circular Design Challenge, Debuts Collection at Lakmé Fashion Week
Chennai label CRCLE by Varshne won the R|Elan Circular Design Challenge and debuted menswear collection DIALOGUE at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI 2026.
| Chennai-based CRCLE by Varshne took the top prize at the R | Elan Circular Design Challenge and earned a standalone showcase at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI 2026, where the label presented DIALOGUE, a menswear collection built on repurposed leather offcuts, deadstock cotton, naturally dyed Wegan, and handcrafted metal buttons. |
|---|---|
| The R | Elan Circular Design Challenge, developed in collaboration with the United Nations in India and Lakmé Fashion Week, drew over 160 applications from 10 countries for its 2025 edition. The jury, which included Orsola De Castro, Payal Jain, Serge Carreira, Kimi Dangor, Kulsum Shadab Wahab, and Shombi Sharp of the UN in India, convened on October 8, 2025, at the UN House in New Delhi. A final exposition of the designers' collections followed on October 10. |
Varshne, identified in competition records as Varshne B. and described as a NIFT designer, had presented a collection called Symbiosis at the competition stage, featuring biodegradable textiles including Wegawool, banana leather, and repurposed fabrics. The Lakmé Fashion Week showcase in March 2026 introduced DIALOGUE as the public-facing expression of that circular vision.
The prize package for the winner was substantial: ₹15 lakh, the CDC trophy, and a six-month mentorship with Orsola De Castro of Estethica. Runner-up Golden Feathers, co-founded by Radhesh Agrahari and Muskaan Sainik, received ₹5 lakh and the same mentorship. Their Kora collection proposed upcycling butchery chicken waste into a wool-like fibre, one of the more radical material propositions in the field. All finalists had previously undergone a three-month mentorship led by Karishma Shahani Khan, Pranav Khanna, and UNEP representatives.
What distinguishes CRCLE beyond a single competition win is the infrastructure Varshne has built around the label. The brand works with over 100 artisans and more than 50 craft communities across India, threading traditional knowledge into garments that use waste streams, including leather offcuts and deadstock cotton, as primary inputs. News18 reported that in under two years, CRCLE has recycled significant textile waste while contributing to sustainable agricultural by-products, though exact tonnage figures have not been publicly confirmed.
| Hemant D Sharma, President of Polyester at Reliance Industries Limited, said: "At Reliance, we believe that the future of fashion lies in empowering the next generation of designers to integrate circularity, sustainability and responsible material use at the heart of their creative process. Through the R | Elan Circular Design Challenge, we are proud to nurture emerging talent that is reimagining design with a strong focus on waste reduction and resource efficiency. We congratulate Varshne and CRCLE on this well-deserved recognition." |
|---|---|
| R | Elan is Reliance Industries Limited's next-generation sustainable fabric brand, and the challenge it anchors has become one of the more rigorous proving grounds for circular fashion in the region. A Lakmé Fashion Week showcase as a direct prize, rather than a symbolic trophy, gives the winner immediate commercial visibility alongside the competition credibility. For CRCLE, DIALOGUE on that runway is the argument made tangible: that circularity in Indian fashion is not a constraint but a design language in its own right. |
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
