New Delhi, October 2026: Maruti Suzuki NEXA Presents The Spotlight has named Linetribe_by Gaurav Jagtiani and Richa Khemka as the two winners of its October 2026 edition, following a jury meet held on 30 September 2026. This season, the platform turns its lens on ‘The Unseen’, inviting designers to uncover the stories, craftsmanship and perspectives that often exist beyond what is immediately visible. The two winners will now translate their individual interpretations of the theme into immersive fashion presentations at Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI on 18 October 2026 at Taj Palace, New Delhi.
At the jury meet, the designers presented their concepts before a panel of leading voices from across the fashion, design, innovation and business industry. The jury comprised Thomas Cheriyan, Executive Vice President Marketing, Maruti Suzuki Ind. Ltd; / Sunil Sethi, Chairman, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI); Jaspreet Chandok, Group Vice President, Reliance Brands Limited; path breaking designer Samant Chauhan; Creative Director and stylist Smridhi Sibal. Moving beyond a conventional runway format, Maruti Suzuki NEXA Presents The Spotlight gives designers the opportunity to build a larger world around their collections through fashion, set design and storytelling. For the October 2026 edition, this format takes on the theme ‘The Unseen’, exploring the ideas and details in fashion that are not always immediately apparent but from the craftsmanship and processes behind a garment to untold narratives, overlooked perspectives and emotions beneath the surface.
Against this creative framework, the two winning designers bring distinctly different approaches to the platform. Delhi-based Linetribe, founded and creatively led by Gaurav Jagtiani, works with a self- developed mix of draping and pattern making, with a strong focus on tailoring and silhouette. Working with a highly trained atelier, the label continually explores construction and deconstruction
across a spectrum of textiles, while its wider design narrative questions ideas around gender, culture and community.
Richa Khemka, who founded her eponymous label in 2015 after a background in finance, approaches design through an exploration of shapes, silhouettes and textures. Self-taught and driven by versatility, her creative vocabulary draws from varied references including bows, botany, pastel colours, pearls, three-dimensional textures and classic black and white. Her work is rooted in handcrafted garments, with each collection reflecting an evolving and individual design identity.
Sunil Sethi, Chairman, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), shared, “Creating meaningful opportunities for design talent has always been central to what we do at FDCI. What was particularly encouraging through the jury process was the range of ideas and approaches presented by the participating designers, each interpreting ‘The Unseen‘ through their own design vocabulary. Initiatives such as Maruti Suzuki NEXA Presents The Spotlight are important because they give promising talent the opportunity to take an idea from concept to a larger presentation, and we are pleased to see the two winning visions take that next step at Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI this season.”
Thomas Cheriyan, Executive Vice President Marketing, Maruti Suzuki Ind. Ltd, said, “NEXA has always believed in creating experiences that go beyond the expected and offer new ways of engaging with design, creativity and culture. Through Maruti Suzuki NEXA Presents The Spotlight, we continue to provide designers with a platform that allows them to express their vision in a format that is immersive and individual to their creative language. ‘The Unseen’ takes this thought further by encouraging designers to explore what lies beneath the surface and bring stories and perspectives that may otherwise remain undiscovered into focus. We congratulate Linetribe_ by Gaurav Jagtiani and Richa Khemka and look forward to seeing their interpretations come alive at the Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI.”
Jaspreet Chandok, Group Vice President, Reliance Brands Limited, added, “Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI has consistently worked towards creating opportunities for designers to experiment with how fashion can be presented and experienced. Maruti Suzuki NEXA Presents The Spotlight is an important part of that approach, giving designers the opportunity to build a world around their collections rather than limiting their expression to the runway alone. Linetribe_by Gaurav Jagtiani and Richa Khemka bring two distinct design perspectives to ‘The Unseen‘, and we look forward to seeing how they translate their individual creative languages into immersive experiences at the platform this season.”
The two winning concepts will come to life on 18 October 2026 at Taj Palace, New Delhi, as Maruti Suzuki NEXA Presents The Spotlight brings a different format of fashion presentation to Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI, offering audiences a closer look at the ideas, processes and perspectives behind each designer’s work.
About House of Lakmē :
The House of Lakmē, is India’s no.1 colour cosmetics and leading premium skincare brand from Hindustan Unilever Ltd. The brand has been the pioneer of the make up and colour cosmetics in India since 1952 with 1000+ SKUs that push the trendsetting envelope of beauty and fashion. Combining international cosmetic technology with an in-depth understanding of the Indian consumer’s needs, the House of Lakmē offers a comprehensive beauty experience through its extensive product portfolio, for fashionistas to embrace beauty unapologetically.
For further information, log on to: House Of Lakmē
About Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI):
A non-profit organisation, the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), is the apex body of fashion design in India, represented by over 400 members. Founded on the premise of promoting, nurturing, and representing the best of fashion and design talent in the country; its prime objective is to propagate the business of fashion. FDCI stays true to its commitment to promote the ‘Make in India’ label as handlooms take centre stage, in a country, whose heritage is soaked in the flavours of indigenous crafts.
For more information, please visit: www.fdci.org
About Reliance Brands:
Reliance Brands Limited (RBL) is a subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd and began operations in 2007 with a mandate to launch and build global brands in luxury to premium segments across fashion and lifestyle. Its current portfolio of brand partnerships comprises Armani Exchange, Armani Caffe, Balenciaga, Bally, Bottega Veneta, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Canali, Coach, Diesel, Dune, EA7, Elan Cafe, Emporio Armani, Gas, Giorgio Armani, Hamleys, Hugo Boss, Hunkemoller, Iconix, Jimmy Choo, Kate Spade, La Martina, Lenscrafters, Manish Malhotra, Michael Kors, Mothercare, Muji, Paul & Shark, Paul Smith, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pret A Manger, Raghavendra Rathore, Salvatore Ferragamo, Satya Paul, Steve Madden, Superdry, Scotch & Soda, Tiffany & Co., Tod’s, Tory Burch, Tumi, Valentino, Versace, Villeroy & Boch, West Elm, Zegna. RBL today operates 1,621 doors split into 934 stores and 687 shop-in-shops in India. In the past five years, RBL has also invested in building and operating homegrown designer brands besides acquiring the iconic British toy retailer Hamleys. Globally, Hamleys has 191 stores across 14 countries.
For more information, please visit: https://relianceretail.com/partner-brands.html
About Maruti Suzuki Nexa:
NEXA was introduced in 2015, Founded on the philosophy of ‘Create. Inspire’, to deliver cutting-edge customer experiences in the automotive retail space with innovative technology and unmatched hospitality. NEXA’s brand values of being global, pampering, reliable, innovative and exciting have created new formats of car buying experiences in India. Moving beyond the concept of retail, NEXA’s foray into providing unique engagement experiences through NEXA Music, NEXA Lifestyle and NEXA Journeys has created a distinct identity within the automotive industry.
