Model of the Month
Richa Chaturvedi
B
eing a science student and that too a brilliant one with high grades,
it was awry for Richa to choose modelling. Richa Chaturvedi,
an engineering graduate, recalls her first opportunity at the age of
18, when she got to walk for designer Raghavendra Rathore for his
show for Vogue. It gave her the break she needed and started getting
many opportunities. In 2014, she participated in Femina Miss India
and was a semifinalist. After that she joined the IT firm Wipro, along
with which she did some music videos under the label Sony and TV
commercials like Dove, Bajaj etc. In 2016, she participated in Miss
Diva(Miss India Universe) and was one of the finalist in top 16. Lots
of movie offers are coming her way for now and we wish her very best
for her future endeavors. Below is an excerpt from a conversation with
her and our correspondent, HIMANSHU DIWAKAR.
What is it for you to be in fashion industry, a little girl’s dream or a
grown up's desire?
Well a little girl’s dream turned into a grown up's desire. As a little girl
I used to admire Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, supermodels Alesia
Raut and Tyra Banks and used to dream that one day I will live that
life, work with designers and work in an industry which is burgeoning
with creativity. Fashion, besides being an extension of personality, or a
mood, or a way of expressing inner creativity, is also a kind of a mask.
I love the transformative quality, the effect that an item of clothing can
have on the way people see you and even the way you see yourself.
We all know and have seen the glamorous side, how about you tell
us something about the life behind the stage?
Yes. As appealing the glamorous side of the fashion looks, the backstage
life is equally gruelling. Being the most competitive industry, you are
always on the edge, eating right, working out hard, long working hours
with no HR departments to police around. But it comes as a package
and is a part of the job. So when you love your job and output, these
things hardly matter.
What does fashion mean to you?
I think that fashion for me is something that represents a rhythm or
a beat, but the way I dance to it, should be my own. We should dress
freely and not be bound to the must-have-lists. Because seriously,
nothing is as refreshing as seeing someone walk down the street in
their own little world of awesomeness! So why be a slave to what the
trend pages say when you were meant to stand out.
What role does fashion play in the current scenario of women
empowerment in India, keeping in mind the fashion industry at
the moment?
Fashion is easily classified as superficial even though making even the
simplest of fashion choices are met with severe judgement, ridicule
and shaming. To address the issue, fashion apparel brands have made
a resolution to give voice to the women of India. Moving away from
frivolous concepts, bold and edgy ads, brands have offered their take
on various aspects of women empowerment through their recent
campaigns. Only recently, to contribute to social causes, IFFD (Indian
Federation for Fashion Development) decided to celebrate the cause of
women empowerment in March in their summit.
A message you would like to give to the masses out there for any
specific cause?
Start taking care of our Mother Nature and save our planet. Live green.
Wear green.
Himanshu Diwakar
[email protected]
Himanshu is our merry-go-round guy, making it alive as
he goes along the corridors. A hard-core gym freak, he
likes his body in a perfect shape. His motivation comes
from the evergrowing business relations through Chiiz.