NEXA Presents the Spotlight’, a platform that empowers and highlights emerging design talent in India is back with its eighth edition this season. The esteemed program has solidified its reputation for unveiling and launching the most innovative and promising designers by giving them a chance to present their marquee collection on the runway. In this edition, the program has announced TIL by Ankur Verma as the winner, who will be showcasing at Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI this October.

NEXA’s theme for this edition ‘Rhapsody’, focuses on embodying an ecstatic expression of feelings, employing vibrant symphonies of colour, texture, and emotion. Within this theme, designers were challenged to showcase how fashion transforms into a medium for expressive storytelling. The presentations exuded energy and vibrancy, incorporating playful movements that helped create an immersive and poetic experience for the distinguished jury of industry experts at the prestigious Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) headquarters in Delhi.

TIL by Ankur Verma was declared the winner from a line-up of 6 shortlisted designers that included KALEEKAL by Alan Alexander Kaleekal, KHANIJO by Gaurav Khanijo, LINE OUTLINE by Deepit Chugh, PIEUX by Pratyush Kumar, and POOCHKI by Ishanee Mukherjee. They introduced their brands through a competitive creative expression in line with NEXA’s spirit of ‘create, inspire’. The winning designer, Ankur Verma will receive a fund from NEXA towards the set design and showcase at the Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI.

Pic: KALEEKAL by Alan Alexander Kaleekal

Pic: Outfits Designer Ankur Verma

Pic: LINE OUTLINE by Deepit Chugh

Pic: KHANIJO by Gaurav Khanijo

Pic: POOCHKI by Ishanee Mukherjee

Pic: PIEUX by Pratyush Kumar

Ankur Verma’s winning TIL collection draws inspiration from human textures – freckles, moles, and wrinkles, blended with surrealism to explore identity and transformation. This season, he focuses on masks as a powerful symbol of cultural history and self-expression. The show will be an immersive experience, inspired by Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work. Anatomical, body-textured pieces will hang within the set, creating a dramatic exploration of identity, form, and the unknown.

The jury that deliberated this season included experts from the industry including Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited; Mr. Bhuvan Dheer, Executive Officer, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India Limited; Sunil Sethi – Chairman of FDCI; Ruchika Sachdeva, Bodice – Designer; ⁠Chaiti Narula, Manifest – Editor;  Ashish Soni – Senior Designer and Jaspreet Chandok – Group Vice President, Reliance Brands Ltd.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said “At NEXA, we are honoured to support initiatives such as ‘NEXA Presents the Spotlight,’ which not only recognizes and celebrates emerging design talent, but also fosters innovation within the fashion industry. This season’s theme ‘Rhapsody,’ has provided designers with a unique opportunity to explore the profound intersection of emotion, creativity, and storytelling through fashion. Ankur Verma has masterfully embodied the spirit of this theme with a bold and visionary collection. We look forward to witnessing the continued evolution of his creative journey and eagerly anticipate the showcase at Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI this October.”

Sunil Sethi, Chairman FDCI said, “Partnering with NEXA for another season of ‘NEXA presents The Spotlight’ reaffirms the platform’s dedication to fostering emerging fashion talent in India and giving them a chance to showcase their designs to the world. We were impressed by the diverse and innovative presentations from participants nationwide, with TIL by Ankur Verma’s showcase, particularly catching our attention. We eagerly anticipate seeing his collection come to life on the runway to inspire a new wave of designers and shape the future of fashion.”

Jaspreet Chandok, Group Vice President, Reliance Brands Ltd. commented, “ NEXA Presents the Spotlight’ has established itself in the fashion industry, launching careers of emerging designers over the past eight editions. Our continued collaboration with NEXA at Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI aims to highlight not only the biggest of designers but also to uncover hidden talent, and we are thrilled to have consistently achieved this goal with each passing season. The triumph of TIL by Ankur Verma as this season's winner brings us immense delight, and we eagerly anticipate the showcase at the upcoming October 2024 edition in New Delhi.”