This small-town girl is turning heads on runways

When I was growing up, supermodels were what you saw in a George Michael video—leggy, honey-haired goddesses with names like Cindy, Linda and Christy. They were impossibly exquisite: a level of exquisite that was genetically impossible for a gangly teenager to achieve.

Today, Indian girls can see some part of themselves in high fashion—she is Aarthi Singh, the Indian model. She is impressive on runways in Hyderabad. And she proves that Brown is very much at home on the fashion scene. “Beauty is beauty, irrespective of race, colour and gender. I would love for more Indian girls to have the opportunity to come to the international scene,” says industry veteran and London-based stylist Charlotte Stockdale.

The lack of diversity in the fashion world has been a hot-button topic for a while now. But recently, Aarthi Singh with individuality and personality has been more successful than the formerly preferred aesthetic of a clone-like army of models, thanks to a handful of forward-thinking designers who champion heterogeneity. “Aarthi is one of the strongest super fashion models of her country, not only gorgeous but also charismatic. It is really important and vital to have her, especially coming from a country that has been a great influence on the modern fashion world”.

However, Aarthi has managed to work in India. In India, she saw the odds were skewed towards models who were fairer and curvier than her. Runway models are expected to wear anything the designer envisions, and see-through fabrics that are routinely part of collections are outside her personal comfort zone. “It’s a hurdle for me every time. I politely request if I can wear something else,” she says. “It’s a big risk because sometimes designers only have one outfit for you and you may lose the show. But most people have been very understanding.”

Insiders are drawing parallels between this new wave of Indian girls and Raut, one of our most successful crossover models.  “Having not seen a fresh Indian face on the scene since Ujjwala, it’s amazing to see Aarthi Singh’s rise open wider doors for diversity on the runway and pave the way for other Indian models,” says Scully.