Kering Picks Three Indian Startups for First India Edition of Generation Award

Kering, the French luxury group that owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, brought its Generation Award to India for the first time this year, honoring startups working on sustainable materials and fashion waste solutions. The award was presented at the French Embassy in New Delhi, coinciding with the start of the latest edition of Lakmē Fashion Week.

Ashita Singhal, founder of the Noida-based upcycling studio Paiwand Studio, won the top prize of €50,000. Her venture converts fashion waste into textiles and lifestyle products, with inspiration partly drawn from her childhood memories of New Delhi's Ghazipur landfill. Singhal described her process as preserving existing waste material and reweaving it into new circular fabric rather than breaking it down into recycled fibers, a technique she calls craft intelligence.

Runner-up honors went to Anish Malpani's venture Without, which recycles materials often considered unrecyclable, and Chandni Batra's A Blunt Story, a circular footwear brand. Malpani's company has developed VerdiFLX, an eyewear-grade compound made largely from post-consumer packaging waste that he says matches the performance of standard premium eyewear materials. Batra's company has created UNCRUDE, a plant-based shoe sole made mostly from agricultural residue that would otherwise be burned by farmers.

All three Indian startups will travel through Europe to meet Kering's designers, suppliers, and industry competitors, including fast-fashion company Inditex, to exchange ideas on finance, communication, and sustainable growth. The engagement will culminate in an invitation to the ChangeNOW summit in Paris in 2027.

The India launch of the award comes as Kering pursues a broader turnaround strategy amid slowing global demand for luxury goods. Gucci, which made up about 51% of Kering's revenue in 2022, saw its sales fall from €10.5 billion that year to €6.0 billion in 2025. Under the leadership of former Renault chief Luca de Meo, Kering unveiled a plan this April identifying India along with the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Mexico, Brazil, and Africa as high-potential regions for growth, with the extension of the Generation Award to India forming part of that strategy.