India shines at R|Elan Circular Design Challenge 2025

Reliance Industries Limited’s next-gen sustainable fabric brand R|Elan™ and United Nations announced the winners of the R|Elan™ Circular Design Challenge (RCDC) 2025 on Friday.

The RCDC 2025 is a global sustainable fashion challenge held at Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI, showcasing how circular economy in fashion can be materialised with material sciences.

The challenge received over 160 applications from 10 countries, with the mission to support designers integrating sustainability, material innovation, and regenerative business practices.

The jury met on October 8, 2025, at the UN House, New Delhi, with final exposition of the designers’ collection held on October 10, Friday. The jury included Kimi Dangor, Orsola De Castro, Payal Jain, Serge Carreira, Kulsum Shadab Wahab, and Shombi Sharp (UN in India).

The winner for this year’s challenge was Chennai-based Varshne B. She showcased her Symbiosis collection under her premium sustainable lifestyle clothing brand CRCLE at the competition, featuring biodegradable textiles like Wegawool, banana leather, and repurposed fabrics.

Meanwhile, Radhesh Agrahari and Muskaan Sainik, co-founders, Golden Feathers stood second for their Kora collection, upcycling butchery chicken waste into wool-like fibre.

The winner and the runner up received ₹15 lakh and ₹5 lakh respectively along with the CDC trophy and a 6-month mentorship with renowned fashion designer Orsola De Castro (Estethica). Meanwhile, NIFT designer Varshne B will have a standalone showcase at Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI in March 2026.

As part of the challenge, finalists underwent a three-month mentorship by experts including Karishma Shahani Khan, Pranav Khanna, and UNEP representatives to refine their circular design strategies.