Young designers are building identities and creating work in response to the multiplicity of modern definitions for “Indianness” and the need for unique individual explorations of fashion aesthetics, even if it means opening up uncomfortable dialogues. Five recent graduates of @nift.newdelhi, from across the country, walk us through their final-year projects as we understand what drives their imaginations and the perceptions they hope to alter: “Belle Epoque: A Beautiful Time is a demi-couture collection consisting of eight complete looks. One word that I’d use to describe it is ‘romantic’. The looks have been created in pairs, with each one sharing similar design elements to convey the idea of companionship.” - @kahkashasidra, Patna “Plastic Fantastic is a feel-good concept that captures the essence of youth. It’s playful — the idea is to have fun with what one wears — and it isn’t an embodiment of what the male gaze wants.” - @anusha.parashar, Guwahati “More than anything else, my collection is an inquiry into how I’ve processed my transition.... Changeling Vol. 1 is a narrative about growing into oneself, and it navigates the complicated ideals of beauty, womanhood and the image of the idealised body through garments that are transmutative, sculptural and inclusive.” - @anyawahi, Hyderabad “Baara Thangi is an amalgamation of the past and the present; it is steeped in nostalgia and yet has elements that bring out the quirkier graphic aspects of who I am today. This Pre-Fall collection puts craft at its centre...and appeals to anyone who would appreciate a slower, more conscious approach to life.” - @anmol_venkatesh, Bengaluru “Inspired by the process of metamorphosis, which in itself is a very strong metaphor for transition, my collection Under The Vault In Our Head is a journey about that second chance at life. It is a narrative of my personal growth, an embodiment of my fight as a sexual assault survivor and an ode to all the other survivors out there.” - @purvazha, Bhopal Full feature at the link in bio. Interviews, art direction and photography: @scriptedartist __ #NIFTDelhi #ExperimentalFashion #NewDesigners