Jaipur boy wins sixth edition of ‘The Debut’

Jaipur boy Aman Verma Thursday triumphed at the sixth edition of “The Debut”, an initiative by Wills Lifestyle to recognise young fashion designer here.

He received the winner’s trophy and an all expenses paid trip to an international fashion fair.

“I am very excited to win this as there is no such platforms for students to showcase their work. I am completely speechless and can’t say anything else right now,” said Aman, a final year student at Jaipur’s Pearl Academy of Fashion.

Well-known designers JJ Valaya, David Abraham, Rakesh Thakore and leading fashion educator Asha Baxi were on the judge’s panel.

More than 500 entries were received for the contest, out of which 31 were short-listed by a separate jury. Four direct entries came through Facebook.

Eventually, 12 candidates competed at the finale.

The theme for the competition was urbane heritage and Abraham was quite impressed the creativity presented by the young aspirant.

He applauded them, saying: “It was great to see these young budding designers showcase their creations. Everyone was good but the winning design was a combination of both Indian and western, which made it stand out.”

The participants included students from all centres of National Institute of Fashion Technology, Pearl Academy of Fashion, Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology, Amity School, Noida and JD Institute of Fashion.

Atul Chand, divisional chief, ITC Lifestyle Retailing Business Division said: ” The Debut by Wills Lifestyle not only provides encouragement to budding creative talent but also facilitates interface with the leading names of Indian fashion fraternity. We will continue our effort of bringing young talent to the forefront.”