The National Designer Hunt 2006 saw about 60 designers that were short listed out the 1000 entries received from colleges like NIFT, L. S. Raheja Technical Institute, Worli, Rachna Sansad, Raffles Design, Mumbai, J. D. Institute, Delhi, Arch Institute of Design, Jaipur etc. by the organisers Peppermint Communication. The event was spread across two-days each showcasing two categories: 1st day was Ethnic Wear & Contemporary Day Wear and the 2nd day there were Casual Street Wear & Party wear categories on the display. Each selected student designer had made a collection of three garments based on themes as quaint as Nani & Me to more serious world issues like The German Holocaust. Thus the two days were like a swirl of ideas and images spun beautifully into one event.

From the 1st of November, the students from all over India came to the AET Campus and the whole ACFA team was buzzing with exhilaration…everything starting rolling into a schedule; grooming sessions conducted by dignitaries like Ms. Harilien Sabhrawal, Hugo D’Souza and Mr. Dinesh Singhal to the trials that followed, boiled down to the day of the Grand Finale.

Top-notch models like Sayali Bhagat, Sindhura Gadde, Naseem Shaikh, Shonal Rawat, Priya Singh and Bobby walked the ramp for the Designer Hunt ’06. The Panel members included Arzoo Govitrikar, Meher Castelino, Ritika Dalal, Andrea Batilla, Nisha Jamwal, Sanjay Wakharia, Dinesh Singhal and Shetal Menon. An equally illustrious panel of jury member judged the collections on basis of their visual impact, commercial viability and innovation in design.

Thus, the event culminated with three lucky winners with a chance to visit IED, Milan on an all-expense paid trip and lots of Cash prizes. And as for our students, they are still excitedly counting and discussing the Do And The Don’ts when designing a collection, overall ACFA has lived upto its promise of making its students thorough Professionals through practical exposure.