Aizawl: Fashion designer Hannah Khiangte from Mizoram has been named ELLE Fashion Voice of the Year 2026. She was given the award at the ELLE Style Awards 2026, held on September 22 at The Leela Palace, New Delhi.
Khiangte shared the news in a post on her official Instagram account, expressing gratitude to ELLE India for supporting and encouraging her work from the beginning. She also thanked the Almighty, her husband, family, friends and her creative team, while dedicating the award to the Zo community and the wider Northeast.
“This one is for all of us,” Khiangte wrote, saying she hoped the recognition would serve as a reminder that the region’s “stories, voices, culture, and work deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated.”
The ELLE awards programme recognises individuals and creative voices working across fashion and related cultural fields.
Khiangte’s eponymous label was founded in 2013 with the stated aim of taking Mizo weaves to a wider audience. Her work is centred on traditional puan, which she reinterprets through contemporary silhouettes while working with local artisans and weavers. Her label says it works with women makers across Mizoram and continues to use traditional shuttle-loom techniques.
Her work has increasingly appeared on major fashion platforms and on prominent personalities. In April 2025, Kareena Kapoor Khan wore a custom Khiangte ensemble at a Bvlgari event. Vogue India described the outfit as a reinterpretation of the traditional puan, with Mizo women artisans involved in its handwoven construction.
Khiangte’s designs were also featured in GQ India’s May 2026 cover story on actor Kriti Sanon, with the publication crediting a top and shorts to the Mizoram designer. Her creations have also been worn by Jacqueline Fernandez, including a white puan look during a concert tour in Doha.
Khiangte’s profile has also extended beyond celebrity dressing. Her work was featured in Vogue India’s coverage of Northeast designers in 2025, which described her as an Aizawl-based designer who launched her label to honour the puan while turning it into contemporary wearable art.
In March 2026, ELLE India featured Khiangte as one of three designers at the first Aizawl Design Project. She closed the showcase with her collection “Lungleng,” drawing on the Mizo idea of Khawtlang Lunglen, a deep sense of remembering or longing and translated the concept through Mizo patterns, modern silhouettes and rose appliqués.
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