Indian fashion designers have been making the country proud on international stages—Paris Fashion Week, anyone? Our models strutted with precision, power, and poise, and the internet collectively lost its mind over how brilliantly they “slayed” global runways.
But let’s not act like it’s all glitz and runway glory back home. Having worked backstage at Lakmé Fashion Week and sat through my fair share of shows, I can confirm what the industry whispers but rarely says out loud: in India, models are often treated like moving coat racks. The real spotlight? It belongs to celebrities. On the runway. Yes, the actual runway—which, let’s be honest, is becoming more red carpet than fashion-forward stage.
Why Are Celebrities Hijacking the Runway?
Internationally, supermodels are celebrated for, well, modeling. They’re revered for their craft. Think Runway Royalty turned Red Carpet Regular Cindy Crawford, who made more cultural impact in a Pepsi ad than most actors do in their entire filmography. Naomi Campbell? Her Hollywood contribution isn’t a film—it’s her presence. You don’t just see Naomi—you feel her arrival.
Today’s elite models—Anok Yai, Adut Akech, Kendall Jenner (say what you want, the girl walks)—are not just cloth-draped mannequins. They are the moment.
Now let’s bring it back home. Indian models? Their names barely make headlines. They’re rarely on covers. Instead, they’re routinely overshadowed by Bollywood’s favourite nepo kids & celebrities. You know the ones whose runway walk feels like they’re heading to brunch.
The Great Cover Conspiracy
In India, high-fashion editorial covers have lost their spark. Creative direction has been replaced with celebrity PR shoots. Almost every magazine cover feels like a déjà vu of the last one: same faces, same expressions, and increasingly, same lack of inspiration.
Where are the bold concepts? The fresh faces? The stories told through styling? Instead, we get an underwhelming photoshoot featuring a nepo baby in couture, looking like they’d rather be anywhere else.
And we’re calling that fashion?
Fashion Weeks Are Now Celebrity Reality Shows
At major events like Lakmé Fashion Week, you’d be hard-pressed to find a model headlining a show. The word “showstopper” has become code for “celebrity appearance.” Press coverage? Entirely celebrity-centric. Designers are often tailoring their collections to match the A-lister’s aesthetic, not their creative vision. And models? They’re lucky if they’re even mentioned. Forget fair pay—some of them don’t get paid at all.
Let that sink in.
Meanwhile, in the West, a supermodel is a cultural force:
- A household name
- Walking for major luxury houses—from Paris to Milan to NYC,
- Landing global campaigns and multiple Vogue covers,
- Gracing the Met Gala, Cannes, and every place where fashion’s heartbeat pulses.
In India? Models are rarely the face of any brand. That honor typically goes to celebrities who may or may not know the difference between tulle and organza. Models don’t get interviews. They don’t represent fashion brands in the media. They aren’t invited to red carpets or talk shows to speak about the industry they work in.
Because in India, actresses are the “fashion experts.” And fashion weeks? They look more like casting parties for the next rom-com.
The Fair Skin Fixation
Of course, we can’t talk about Indian fashion without addressing its obsession with fair skin and Eurocentric beauty standards. Despite our glorious melanin being a built-in accessory, Indian campaigns continue to lean light. Global brands didn’t even bother featuring Indian faces until they could pass as “racially ambiguous.”
Dark-skinned Indian models? They exist. But they’re often underbooked, underpaid, and underrepresented. The irony? Our skin tone is our legacy—but it’s being left out of the photoshoot.
Indian Models Who Did Make Noise
- Ujjwala Raut – The OG. Walked Victoria’s Secret. Still the last Indian model to make a global impact.
- Bhumika Arora – Walked for Chanel, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs. High fashion credentials? Yes. Media spotlight? Not quite.
- Pooja Mor – Louis Vuitton alum. Known for being an engineer-turned-model. Still, you’ll rarely see her on local magazine covers.
- Neelam Gill – British-Indian. Burberry campaigns and red carpet regular in the UK. Global A-list? Not yet.
- Avanti Nagrath – First Indian model to open a Versace show at Milan Fashion Week.
These women are stunning, seasoned, and seriously good at their job. But why aren’t they household names in India?
So… What Will It Take for India to Build Supermodels?
- Agencies that champion dark-skinned, desi beauty and push talent into the global spotlight.
- A cultural recalibration that stops treating models like background props.
- Platforms like Netflix and Lakmé Fashion Week need to stop acting like Bollywood’s extended PR department.
- Financial power, publicists, and personal branding strategies that help models become brands in themselves.
Final Sip: The Runway Revolution Starts Now
It’s high time we stopped treating models as accessories and started acknowledging them as artists. The catwalk is not a red carpet, and fashion deserves more than a celebrity’s casual stroll. Models are professionals with stories, skillsets, and star power—if only we’d give them the platform to shine.
Her Empire celebrates voices that don’t just whisper behind the scenes—they speak up, walk tall, and demand the stage. Because fashion isn’t just about fame, it’s about form, feeling, and the fierce talent behind it.
So here’s to a future where Indian models aren’t just walking—they’re leading. The supermodel era isn’t over. In India? It hasn’t even begun. Let’s fix that.
