Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Itanagar: The inaugural Apatani Fashion Week and Apatani's Next Top Model 2026 kicked off July 1 at the Siilang Diting Dree Festival Ground in Hija village. The two-day event draws designers, weavers, and performers from across the Northeast to spotlight tribal heritage and sustainable style.
The Siilang Diting Dree Festival Organising Committee runs the show. Organizers hope to turn the Lower Subansiri district into a center for cultural tourism and homegrown fashion. Day one featured the contestant introduction round for the model competition, where participants walked in outfits mixing traditional motifs with modern looks.
Osum Jerang Karlo earned the Arunachal's Best Fashion Designer of the Year 2026 award. Her work fuses tribal craft with contemporary silhouettes. Meanwhile, Zenith Khonjuju took home the award for Best Emerging Fashion Designer of the Year 2026 for her zero-waste collection, "GI-ZHA," which relies entirely on organic materials.
Nang Angie Ngoba Namchoom missed the event due to severe flooding. Her Ziro Valley collection still hit the runway. Meghalaya designer Rupert Wanlambok Lynrah closed the night. The event wraps up on July 2 with the grand finale, final runway presentations, and official title announcements.
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