While global business forums often spotlight CEOs as the torchbearers of industry progress, fashion retail tells a different story. In this business, the future is often shaped far away from boardrooms—inside design studios, sourcing labs, material libraries, and visual merchandising floors. It is here that ideas are tested, risks are taken, and innovation quietly becomes impact.
Celebrating these creators at the heart of fashion retail, the IFF Innovators Club Conclave (IFFICC) marked a high point on Day One evening of the IMAGES Fashion Awards (IFA) at the 25th India Fashion Forum (IFF), held at Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru.
A Movement for Fashion’s Unsung Heroes
Launched at IFF 2023, the IFF Innovators Club was conceived to recognise and empower the designers, buyers, merchandisers, sourcing specialists, and innovation teams who shape brands from the inside out. What began as a focused initiative has since grown into a nationwide movement—through roadshows, masterclasses, and curated conclaves—bringing together India’s fashion innovation community.
Now in its fourth year, the Club—curated with ICH NEXT as Program Manager—is hosting a two-day IFF Innovators Club Conclave (IFFICC) as part of IFF 2026. The conclave features town halls, knowledge sessions, and closed-door roundtables, with senior professionals from buying, design, sourcing, sustainability, and merchandising participating as speakers, mentors, and jury members.
A Rigorous Jury, A High Bar
The conclave opened with presentations by nominees across key innovation categories—including Design Innovation, Product Development, Supply Excellence, Circular Fashion, and Sustainability—reviewed by a distinguished jury comprising:
- Anandita Bhuyan, Founder, Moodboard Analytics
- Dr. Sanyogita Chadha, Director, UID Bangalore
- Karunesh Vohra, Catalyst, Business of Design
- Manab Hembram, Design & Product Development Consultant
- Nidhi Raj, Former CEO, Flying Machine
- Saikat Mitra, Director, Yew Clothing & Creative Director, TSPL (UK)
- Samrat Som, Design & Innovation Strategist
Together, the jury evaluated not just aesthetics or novelty, but depth of thinking, scalability, relevance to Indian consumers, and long-term impact.
Honouring Excellence in Fashion Innovation
The evening culminated in the presentation of the coveted titles “IMAGES Most Admired Fashion Innovation of the Year”, recognising breakthrough work across disciplines:
- Disruptive Design – Product
Nykd by Nykaa Design Team — Simran Sharma & Swati Sud - Disruptive Design – Visual Merchandising
Seven Sarees — Hemamalini Padmanabhan, Founder - Design Innovation in Craft
Seven Sarees — Hemamalini Padmanabhan, Founder - New India Consumer Breakthrough
Zivame — Prachi Walia, AGM & Design Head
Van Heusen — Shankar Chowdhury, General Manager – Design - Modern India Supply Excellence
Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) — Vishal Kumar, Membership & Supply Chain Officer - Circular Fashion Initiative
Ratan RLS — C. Anbumalar, PA Footwear - Sustainable Fabric Adoption
R|Elan™ SmarTex Team — Reliance Industries Limited - Special Mention
Adyam Handwoven, an Aditya Birla Initiative — Manish Saksena, Business Lead
Celebrating the Minds That Build Brands
What set the IFFIC Awards apart was not just the recognition, but the message it sent: innovation in fashion retail is not the responsibility of a single department or role. It is a collective craft—where design meets sourcing, where sustainability meets scale, and where creativity meets commercial reality.
As the 25th edition of the India Fashion Forum unfolds, the IFFIC Awards reaffirm a powerful truth—the future of Indian fashion retail will be written by those who create, experiment, and execute behind the scenes.
And at IFF 2026, those voices are finally taking centre stage.
