For independent talent, though, the industry is harder to enter. Opportunities tend to sit with established houses, big agencies and a few gatekeepers. Emerging models, young designers and self-taught makeup artists often have the talent but no stage.
FashioNova was built to be that stage.
Where passion met profession
FashioNova is the idea of Angsu Mahanty, a free spirit who knew early on that a conventional 9-to-5 wasn’t for him. He wanted to build something creative, for himself and for people who dream freely.
It began in Bankura in 2020 with a modest show and a much bigger vision. A year later came the real test. In 2021, in the middle of the Covid period, the team took Season 2 to Kolkata. Its success gave them the confidence to keep going, and it is still seen as FashioNova’s turning point.
From pageant to platform
Seven seasons later, FashioNova is much more than a pageant. It has become a platform, and a family, for models, designers, makeup artists and anyone hoping to make a mark in fashion. The scale, team and network have grown. The original vision hasn’t changed.
The early years meant building a team from scratch, meeting new people and working everything out along the way. Those challenges built a stronger mindset. What the team has moved past is relying on limited research, which sometimes misled them early on. Today they know their ground far better.
Season 7: a big step forward
This year brought FashioNova its strongest line-up of partners so far. Lakmé Academy came on board, along with designers Vibrance, Aviexel and Kolkatanama. The platform brings emerging and established names together so they can learn from and grow with each other.
The moment that best summed up the season came at the crowning. Last year’s queen, Moumita Mandal, passed the crown to the new queen, Ragashree Chakraborty. The audience saw a beautiful moment. For the people behind FashioNova, it meant responsibility, success and the start of a new journey, because here winners don’t just win. They become pillars of FashioNova.
Through Mad Social’s lens
Mad Social’s founder Ankit Rituraj attended this year’s show and enjoyed it thoroughly
“In an industry where most things are controlled by the industry itself, independent creatives and fashion enthusiasts struggle to build something like this. The way FashioNova has created its own space is remarkable to see”
That’s what makes FashioNova matter to us. It wasn’t handed a seat at the table. It built its own table, one season at a time.
What keeps it going
Growing season after season while staying true to the original vision is the hardest part. Every season brings new challenges, and each one has made the team stronger. What keeps them going is the people: watching someone arrive with a dream and grow into it through FashioNova.
From a small show in Bankura to a seven-season platform in Kolkata, FashioNova shows what independent creativity can achieve when it refuses to wait for permission.