Snob warning: the new five of the fashion jungle you should know

Rahul Mishra - a man of firsts

His work is Indian in ways at once familiar and unrecognisable. Mishra is a man of firsts: he was the first non-European to win a scholarship to Milan's prestigious Instituto Marangoni in 2009, and in 2014 became the first Asian to win the iconic International Woolmark Prize, judged by some of fashion's most revered names.

It was outside an Issey Miyake store in Milan that Mishra had the lightbulb moment that shaped his work: the recognition that Miyake is iconic not because it's international but because it's fundamentally Japanese. His own work now reflects that same duality: it's as Indian as it's modern, and that's what makes it constantly intriguing.

Amit Aggarwal - nautanki by nature

He has a knack for drama that doesn't feel OTT, metallics that don't feel like Band Baaja Baarat and edgy silhouettes that don't feel out of place off the ramp, which is why he's on speed dial for contemporary fashion editors.

A 2002 graduate of NIFT, Aggarwal worked with a host of designers including Tarun Tahiliani, headed a creative design label called Morphe, then launched his eponymous label in 2012 to fabulous reviews from the fashion press. If eclectic-with-an-edge is your thing, this is the place to start.

Photo: Amit Aggarwal

Payal Pratap - global desi

The years she spent known as wife of iconic designer Rajesh Pratap Singh may feel wasted to those who now see Payal's talent, but they've given her work serious refinement.

After assisting Rajesh for over a decade, she launched her own label for women in 2010; more timeless than trendy, it shows a strong passion for craft and for making the traditional contemporary.

Celebrities and fashion editors are firmly in favour, with the label receiving serious love from Vogue, Elle and Bazaar in print even as fashion favourites Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Neha Dhupia have worn it off the ramp.

Photo: Payal Pratap

Shift/Nimish Shah - bishop cotton

Sophisticated, with a passion for sustainability and the environment, Shift is that rare brand loved by fashion editors - Nishat Fatima of Harper's Bazaar and Aishwarya Subramanyam of Elle both put it on their top 5 new favourites list - but wearable by virtually anyone.

Nimish, the designer behind the label, is an alumnus of the London School of Fashion. He's won a scholarship for his use of organic cotton, done stints at fashion houses like Chloe and Burberry, and launched his own label as recently as 2011.

Photo: Nimish Shah

Pankaj and Nidhi - the psychedelic duo

If you like fashion to challenge you, push you, take you a little out of your comfort zone, these are the designers to do it. Think strong colours, striking silhouettes and a love for embellishment, all with a controlled hand and sharp eye for staying on the right side of excess; if they had a tagline, it could well have been 'The Bold and the Beautiful'.

The NIFT graduate couple launched their label in 2006 but it's only in the last couple of years that celebrities - or rather, celeb stylists - have recognised the individuality of their work, and the label is now a regular with the fabulous and famous including Deepika Padukone, Esha Gupta and Anushka Sharma.

Photo: Pankaj and Nidhi

This list isn't the last word; it's more like the current word. It's hard to keep ahead of the fashion space - apparently, over 1,00,000 professionals graduate from fashion design institutes in India annually. But if you do want a fast track to knowledge, Border and Fall - a sharply curated blog respected by industry insiders - will make sure you're in touch with the truly fashion-forward.

Or, you know, come back here soon.