ELLE Graduates 2025: Meet The Nominations

As we step into another landmark year for Indian fashion, ELLE Graduates 2025 spotlights the country’s most compelling new voices, designers who are rewriting craft, questioning tradition, and shaping what the future of fashion looks like.

From boundary-pushing couture and emotion-driven prêt to sustainable innovation and accessory design steeped in storytelling, this year’s nominees stand at the intersection of talent, purpose, and imagination.

These are the names you’ll soon see everywhere, the visionaries crafting tomorrow’s language of style, one stitch, one silhouette, one idea at a time.

ACCESSORIES AND JEWELLERY

RATA —Pratiksha Tandon

RATA is a contemporary luxury lifestyle label crafting whimsical, hand-beaded accessories that merge storytelling with meticulous craftsmanship. Founded in 2023 by Pratiksha Tandon, the brand thrives on emotion-driven design, where each piece begins as a single bead and evolves into an expressive narrative. Rooted in nature, artistry, and fine detailing, RATA’s work challenges conventional accessory design by weaving poetry into form. Despite being a young brand, it has quickly built a reputation for exceptional quality and a unique, playful identity.

Ferrier — Vamakshii

Ferrier is a living ecosystem rather than a traditional brand, a multidisciplinary archive where memory, material, and craft merge. Led by Vamakshii, the label focuses on reviving traditional practices through contemporary forms. Every piece is handmade, shaped by nature and renewal, with the brand’s core ethos rooted in transformation. Recycled materials, bio-leathers, and organic forms define Ferrier’s sculptural accessories, creating heirloom pieces that bridge land, craft, and emotion.

Sirooh — Pari Shah Vijoy

Sirooh creates accessories that blur the boundaries between art, jewellery, and luxury leather goods. Founded by Pari Shah Vijoy, the brand draws on mythology, symbolism, and feminist narratives to craft footwear and handbags with a strong design voice. Known for innovation, including the patent-pending Apsara heel, Sirooh merges global materials with Indian manufacturing excellence. Each piece celebrates womanhood through bold silhouettes, high-quality craftsmanship, and avant-garde storytelling.

Neti Neti — Sonika Garg Bansal & Mayank Bansal

Neti Neti crafts jewellery inspired by nature’s quiet imperfections and the philosophy of 'not this, not that', the shedding of excess to find what is real. Using driftwood shaped by the sea, silver, and raw gemstones, founders Sonika and Mayank Bansal create one-of-a-kind pieces handcrafted slowly and consciously. The label prioritises mindfulness, raw beauty, and connection, jewellery that feels meditative, grounding, and deeply personal.

RITAMBARA — Charu Bhasin

RITAMBARA is an exploration of the dark feminine, powerful, unapologetic, and emotionally raw. Designed by Charu Bhasin, the brand merges tribal roots with Gothic futurism, creating sculptural metal pieces that feel more like wearable mythology than jewellery. With obsidian tones and avant-garde silhouettes, RITAMBARA focuses on emotional armour: accessories that reclaim the body as an altar of truth, rebellion, and untamed beauty.

MENSWEAR

Abhichiq — Abhishek Shinde

Abhichiq is a conscious menswear label blending artisanship, mindfulness, and modern minimalism. Designer Abhishek Shinde builds timeless pieces rooted in India’s craft heritage, made responsibly with natural materials and handcrafted details. The brand stands for slow, ethical fashion with clean silhouettes, handwoven textiles, and a philosophy that style should be soulful, inclusive, and sustainable.

23°N.69°E — Anas Sheikh

23°N.69°E is an artisanal label honouring the craft heritage of Kachchh. Founded by Anas Sheikh, the brand’s identity is driven by hand-painted textiles, Ajrakh block printing, and collaborations with local weavers and printers using Kala cotton. Every garment is a slow-fashion artefact, rooted in tradition, reimagined for the modern wardrobe, and built on ethical, craft-first partnerships.

JUBINAV — Jubinav Chadha

JUBINAV is a contemporary menswear label exploring emotional nostalgia through craft. Launched by Jubinav Chadha, the brand merges couture techniques such as Kantha, appliqué, and quilted surfaces with global silhouettes. Known for its textured storytelling, JUBINAV designs collectable, expressive garments that turn memory, emotion, and artistry into avant-garde menswear.

RESA — Deev Thakrar

RESA, founded by Deev Thakrar, is a textile-driven label centred on heritage narratives rendered in refined, modern silhouettes. With a name meaning 'threads,' RESA’s work celebrates artisanal textiles, soft structures, and thoughtful construction. Each piece feels poetic yet contemporary, a quiet conversation between legacy craftsmanship and polished, global design language.

Aaram Viram — Harsh Jhunjhunwala

Aaram Viram is a craft-led menswear label built around comfort, nostalgia, and Indian textiles. Designer Harsh Jhunjhunwala works exclusively with handwoven fabrics across Indian regions, reinterpreting traditional crafts like Zardozi and Gota Patti for minimal menswear. The brand is rooted in slow production, emotional memory, and everyday luxury that feels lived-in, not ornamental.

RTW INDIAN

TIL — Ankur Verma

TIL is known for its distinctive prints, patchwork ('katran'), and intricate hand-embroidery, merging artisanal Indian craft with a sustainable, ethical design ethos. Led by Ankur Verma, the brand focuses on slow fashion, minimal waste, and deeply textured garments with storytelling at their core. TIL continues to expand globally with a strong presence across India, the Middle East, and Europe.

That Antiquepiece — Yash Patil

That Antiquepiece by Yash Patil reimagines nostalgia, Victorian romanticism, and heirloom couture. With intricate corsetry, structured silhouettes, and dramatic forms, the brand treats couture as sculpture, slow, patient, and deeply personal. Each piece becomes a modern heirloom rooted in craftsmanship, storytelling, and historical influence.

Urmil — Ritika & Prerna

Urmil, founded by sisters Ritika and Prerna, blends contemporary silhouettes with intricate, experimental surface techniques inspired by art and nature. Their designs integrate modern cuts, unique embroidery, and playful motifs, creating statement pieces that marry innovation with Indian tradition. Urmil celebrates bold individuality while staying rooted in craft.

Richa Ahluwalia — Richa Ahluwalia

Richa Ahluwalia's eponymous label stands at the forefront of luxury bridal couture, merging heritage craftsmanship with modern grandeur. Known for intricate Zardozi and refined silhouettes, the brand celebrates Indian bridal artistry with elevated contemporary sensibilities. Each creation carries tradition, emotion, and artisanal excellence.

Vrinda Soni — Vrinda Soni

Vrinda Soni brings abstraction, emotion, and craft evolution into modern Indian wear. Rooted in expressive embroidery and fluid, raw textures, the label sees craft as a living form, not preserved but transformed. Inspired by nature’s irregular beauty, Vrinda Soni creates garments that blend couture sensitivity with everyday wearability.

RTW WESTERN

ANI Clothing — Shivani Aggarwal

Founded by Shivani Aggarwal, ANI Clothing blends Indian craftsmanship with contemporary global design. Known for hand-painted prints, intelligent construction, and intuitive storytelling, the brand offers structured yet fluid ready-to-wear that celebrates movement, colour, and emotional expression. ANI prioritises thoughtful production and artisan collaboration.

One True Pairing — Parnika Jain

One True Pairing (KULA’s prêt extension) is rooted in individuality, colour, and emotional textures. Designed by Parnika Jain, the brand emphasises personal style through expressive surfaces and bold materials. Each piece encourages authenticity, celebrating the connection between identity and aesthetics.

Elsa Nilaj — Elsa Nilaj

Albanian designer Elsa Nilaj blends traditional craft with contemporary fashion, integrating cross-stitch embroidery, custom textiles, and precise tailoring. Her work pays homage to cultural heritage while reimagining it for the modern woman. Recognised internationally and showcased at LFW, Elsa’s brand stands for elegance, innovation, and artisanal excellence.

Arohi — Aarohi Shah

ĀROHI, founded by Aarohi Shah, interprets hand-weaving, minimal glamour, and modern silhouettes through a refined, global lens. The brand brings together heritage craftsmanship and bold restraint, creating timeless pieces defined by structured drapes, luxe fabrics, and quiet sophistication.

Acquire — Angélique Raina

Acquire, led by Angélique Raina, is a material-focused label exploring texture, form, and the emotional landscape of clothing. With custom-woven textiles, experimental surfaces, and sculptural silhouettes, the brand prioritizes comfort, imagination, and transformative design. Each garment balances softness and structure, shaped by constant artistic exploration.

SUSTAINABILITY

Pieux — Pratyush Kumar

Pieux is a luxury sustainable label redefining conscious fashion through circularity, ethical production, and emotionally rich design. Founded by Pratyush Kumar, the brand merges experimental silhouettes with eco-innovative materials like lenticular textiles, upcycled fabrics, and intricate appliqué. Pieux approaches sustainability not as a limitation but as creative liberation.

Quarter — Somya Lochan

Quarter by Somya Lochan celebrates India’s handloom culture through contemporary silhouettes and emotional storytelling. Working with over 13 weaving clusters, the brand is known for its revival of Himroo and for textiles created through collaboration between artisans and designers. Quarter’s aesthetic is defined by quiet strength, tactile refinement, and craft-led innovation.

Olai — Madhumita Sokkalingam

Olai is a tribute to Chettinad’s Kottan palm-leaf weaving, reinterpreted through modern fashion by Madhumita Sokkalingam. The brand transforms architectural motifs, cultural symbols, and palm fibres into experimental textiles and sculptural garments. Olai honours the legacy of Chettinad women while pushing craft into a future-forward, global space.

KULA — Maitriye Aggarwal

KULA, led by Maitriye Aggarwal, is a community-driven label operated by rural women artisans across India. Working with natural materials and emotion-led design, KULA translates feelings into textures through hand-knitting and weaving. Each piece carries the stories, energies, and emotional fingerprints of the women who craft them, a wearable human connection.

Lafaani — Drishti & Rashmick

Lafaani, founded by Drishti and Rashmick, creates biodegradable, craft-led designs rooted in Indian heritage. With circular practices, gender-fluid silhouettes, and zero-waste sensibilities, Lafaani blends timeless craftsmanship with contemporary function. Their signature textiles (Kala cotton, handwoven denim, Chanderi) and instinctive embroidery reflect a philosophy of longevity, quiet beauty, and mindful design.