Danielle Singh is a 33-year-old animal rescuer. At 5'9", she tilts the scales at 90kg. With her tomboyish looks and short crop, she cut a stylish figure at the recent auditions of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive. And she won. She is one of 21 other models who'll be walking the ramp for designer Wendell Rodricks.
This will be the second edition of the LFW plus size show, hosted jointly with the plus-size clothing brand aLL. The first one took place in August last year, and clearly made a buzz. "Last year, we had around 200 entries for the auditions. This year we had nearly double," says aLL CEO Hetal Kotak.
A majority of the winners are first-timers on the ramp — Aditi Muni is a 38-year-old mother of two, Kinjal Shah, is a 32-year-old musician in Mumbai, At 26, Akshata Shenoy is a chef and a teacher. There are two repeat participants, and a few 'professionals', among who is Fizah Khan, brand ambassador of online brand Calae.
Fat is in
In recent years, there has been a move towards 'body diversity' in the West with models such as Ashley Graham and Lane Bryant challenging traditional size norms. But how accepting is the Indian fashion industry of plus size models? "The fashion industry lives in an ivory tower that does not believe an average Indian woman is 38-34-44," says Rodricks, one of the few Indian designers who has been designing clothes in plus sizes. (Some, like Anita Dongre go up to size 16). Rodricks' Trapezoid collection last year addressed all sizes. "I love curvy ladies. In my shop, the sizing is on racks that read Slim, Medium, Voluptuous, Voluptuous Goddess and Very Voluptuous Goddess. I refuse to call ladies L, XL, XXL," says the veteran designer.
Plus size models have very few avenues to earn a living in India. "There are no modelling agencies to represent us," says Neha Parulkar, who made it to the auditions for the second time this year. At LFW, the models will be part of one show — Rodricks' collection for aLL. They are not part of the general pool, though Jaspreet Chandok, Head of Fashion for IMG Reliance, which organises LFW, says, "We are in conversations to have a plus size model in the model pool."
Online activity
The rise of plus size clothing brands and online stores has opened up some avenues. Rajat Khanna, 29, a Delhi-based rubber dealer who is 6'1" and weighs 120kg. "I have been modelling for four years, and get an average of two assignments a month. I have modelled for the plus-size range of some of the top brands as well as for online portals," says Khanna, who charges Rs 15,000 for a day's work.
Online retailers like Chandni Sapra of Amydus feel that plus size modelling in India lacks "professionals". This is where social media "influencers" like Parulkar, come in. She plugs brands like Marks & Spencer and NuBella. "I don't get paid, but I get to keep the clothes," says Parulkar. At least it's something.
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