Awards & Recognition
2025
FRENCH FASHION AWARDS
PLATINUM AWARD
BLACK LIONESS — [Kaali]
Awarded at the French Fashion Awards 2025, KAALI, from the Black Lioness series, interprets Goddess Kaali as an embodiment of Shakti, representing time, destruction, death, and transformation.
The work explores the relationship between Kaali and kāla (time), reflecting on mortality, impermanence, and the inevitability of change. Her traditional garland of severed demon heads symbolises death, destruction, and the transient nature of existence.
A bold black and gold palette combines with glossy latex and experimentally manipulated nylon monofilament to create sculptural volume and movement. Approximately 75% of the garment was hand-sewn, making craftsmanship and endurance central to its creation.
KAALI ultimately presents destruction not as an ending, but as part of an eternal cycle of transformation and renewal.
2025
FRENCH FASHION AWARDS
PLATINUM AWARD
BLACK LIONESS — [Guardian]
Awarded at the French Fashion Awards 2025, Guardian, from the Black Lioness series, portrays Goddess Kaali as a protective and compassionate mother, where strength and tenderness coexist.
Inspired by the story of Lord Shiva calming Kaali’s fury by lying beneath her feet, serpentine forms surround the body as a symbol of protection, vigilance, and maternal resilience. Their movement transforms the silhouette into a living presence.
A black and gold palette, leopard markings, glossy latex, and experimental nylon monofilament create contrast between softness, strength, and structure. Approximately 60% of the construction was hand-sewn, reflecting the work’s intensive craftsmanship.
Guardian reimagines Kaali as maternal strength: fierce in protection, compassionate in nurture, and relentless when what she loves is threatened.
2025
FRENCH FASHION AWARDS
GOLD AWARD
BLACK LIONESS — [Beyond The Veil]
Awarded at the French Fashion Awards 2025, this work from Black Lioness draws on Goddess Kaali and her associations with time, mortality, destruction, and transformation. The concept reflects kāla (time) as an unstoppable force, with death symbolising impermanence and the continuous cycle of ending and renewal.
Skulls, demonic imagery, and leopard-inspired elements express Kaali’s fierce, transformative presence, while black, gold, and cyber yellow create a commanding sculptural aesthetic.
The surface combines hand-dyeing, hand-painting, and experimental nylon monofilament structures. Approximately 85% of the construction was hand-sewn, with layered components meticulously assembled to create volume and intricate detail.
The work transforms Kaali’s powerful symbolism into a contemporary wearable sculpture exploring time, mortality, power, and transformation.
2022
INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS (IDA)
EOS SERIES
Emerging Designer of the Year
Awarded at the French Fashion Awards 2025, this work from Black Lioness draws on Goddess Kaali and her associations with time, mortality, destruction, and transformation. The concept reflects kāla (time) as an unstoppable force, with death symbolising impermanence and the continuous cycle of ending and renewal.
Skulls, demonic imagery, and leopard-inspired elements express Kaali’s fierce, transformative presence, while black, gold, and cyber yellow create a commanding sculptural aesthetic.
The surface combines hand-dyeing, hand-painting, and experimental nylon monofilament structures. Approximately 85% of the construction was hand-sewn, with layered components meticulously assembled to create volume and intricate detail.
The work transforms Kaali’s powerful symbolism into a contemporary wearable sculpture exploring time, mortality, power, and transformation.
2022
MLT HOKONUI FASHION DESIGN AWARDS
Award of Excellence
SPIRITUAL SHIFT
Recipient of the Award of Excellence at the MLT Hokonui Fashion Design Awards, Spiritual Shift explores self-awakening as an inward journey from uncertainty toward awareness and transformation.
Through experimental silhouettes, layering, texture, and sculptural construction, Chawla translated this internal experience into wearable form. Material and craftsmanship became part of the narrative, expressing emergence, vulnerability, and personal evolution.
The work marked an early shift toward Chawla’s research-led practice in contemporary wearable sculpture, establishing the body as a medium for making intangible human experiences visible.
2022
MLT HOKONUI FASHION DESIGN AWARDS
Open Section Collections Award
Spiritual Shift
Recipient of the Open Section Collections Award at the MLT Hokonui Fashion Design Awards, Spiritual Shift explores self-awakening as a journey of reflection, questioning, and transformation.
Each piece represents a different stage of this inner journey, combining distinct silhouettes, textures, structures, and materials into one cohesive narrative. Through sculptural construction, layering, volume, and movement, Chawla translated emotional and psychological states into wearable form.
The collection marked an important development in her practice, shifting from individual pieces toward cohesive bodies of work centred on consciousness, transformation, and storytelling.
