JD Design Awards 2025: Towards a New Age of Responsible and Reflective Design
The JD Design Awards 2025 was organised at the iconic Panjim Gymkhana in Goa, which presented the graduating students of JD School of Design with their final-year projects.
Beyond being a conventional scholastic presentation, the event identified the potential for design as a vehicle for social commentary, innovation, and sustainability. Hosted by JD School of Design, driven by JD Institute of Fashion Technology, the awards remain a prestigious platform for up-and-coming designers to showcase their work to industry professionals, media, and their peers. The 2025 version of the awards demonstrated the university’s focus on developing responsible, progressive design practices.
Redesigning Fashion through Innovation
The fashion presentation offered 14 end-of-course collections, each distinguished by its richness of narrative, technical proficiency, and conceptual clarity. They were not just clothes, but expressions of ideas, emotions, and cultural insight.
Callista Anna Pereira received the Conscious Craft Award for Threads of Legacy, a collection based on ethical processes and ancestral stories. Taysha Althea Pereira received the Stitch and Form Award for The Alchemy of Chaos, an elegant exploration of structure and abstraction. Ornate Solace by Ayushka Kote received the Beyond Gender Collection Award for its intentional disruption of traditional gender dualities. Sarveksha Mansingh Rane won the Formless Design Award for Sculpted Senses, a body of work which eschewed conventional form in pursuit of fluidity and expression. Mahek Shaikh won the Unconventional Avant-Garde Award for Full Moon Party, an unapologetic celebration of fearless design. Aeternum by Sanjana Gurav took home the Best Pret-a-Porter Designer Award for its sophisticated take on ready-to-wear. The Experimental Textile Award went to Aurora Terra, which experimentally pushed the limits of manipulation and sustainability of fabrics, won by Janice Marissa Botelho. Wekhrolou Kapfo’s Victorian Era Reimagined won the Heritage Reborn Award for its sensitive yet contemporary take on historical design. The Golden Needle Award, the evening’s most coveted honour, went to Mehal Ramchandra Parab for Divine Aura, a collection that stood out for technical brilliance and consolidated narrative.
Together, the collections demonstrated a new school of fashion thinking that valued inclusivity, sustainability, and cultural sensitivity over transience.
Interior Design with Purpose and Vision- The Interior Design exhibition was a testament to the strength of spatial design in responding to the needs of the modern world. Final-year students showcased experiential ideas that were in perfect harmony with ecological sensitivity, combined with the utilitarian aesthetic.
Naomi Anna Cardozo received the Best Design of the Year award for Scentorium: Perfume Museum, an evocative piece that reimagined an experiential exhibition through sensory intervention.
Maegan Cressie D’Costa won the Best Concept of the Year Award for her Interior Workspace, a design that beautifully harmonised industrial details with biophilic design principles.
These pieces focused on key issues, including environmental stewardship, mental well-being, and the transformation of public and private working spaces.
Some other standout fashion collections were: Bhavanakumari A.C.’s The Garasia Edit, a colourful celebration of Rajasthan’s Garasia tribe in modern resortwear. Sheryl Fernandes’ Instrumental Vogue mixed fashion with ecoactivism. Minaz Shaikh’s Broken is Beautiful adopted the Kintsugi philosophy in contemporary streetwear, which glorifies resilience and flaws. Beverly Almeida’s Discordant Harmony delved into the duality theme using reversible clothing. Clynne Morgan Jorge’s The Wedding That Never Happened provided a touching story of queer couples and what they encounter.
JD Design Awards, Goa, was honoured to host an esteemed panel of special guests whose contributions to education, art, community development, and innovation continue to shape the future of Goa. Among the distinguished attendees were Vijay Sardesai – MLA, a Prominent political leader, Goa Forward Party and Current MLA of Fatorda constituency, renowned artist Mr. Subodh Kerkar, celebrated for his contributions to promoting Goan identity through art, Mr. Manharish Salelkar, a forward-thinker in the realm of technology and innovation, Mr. Praful Makwana, a Fashion Entrepreneur and social media influencer, Dr. Niyan Marchon – Program director, Doctorate of Higher Education, Goa State Higher Education Council and Mr. Yogesh Dalal – Trustee, JD Educational Trust, a committed patron of design education. Their presence brought great prestige to the event, inspiring students and guests alike.
A Defining Moment for Indian Design
With the helping hand of distinguished partners, such as The House of Samsaara, Big Banyan, Roulette, and Nik O Photoworld, the JD Design Awards 2025 received far-reaching appreciation from media, industry experts, and talent scouts alike. Critics applauded the event as “a revelation” and “a defining moment for Indian design.”
As the night wound down, one thing was certain: the future of design is depth, inclusivity, and integrity. JD Design Awards 2025 was not just to exhibit new talent but to reaffirm a commitment as a collective to create a future that is responsible, ethical, and visionary.
