URVASHI KAUR
It’s hard to put a specific cultural tag on the glocal, modern Indian aesthetic of the Urvashi Kaur brand. And, that’s exactly how Kaur, its founder-designer, intends it to be. Her chameleonic appearance is her signature, her hair, a canvas for creativity. Long, short, or even asymmetric – the designer’s hair length and hues have changed over the year, like the piercings that dot her ears. Her personal style is reflective of her work. “Being a married woman with short hair and into fashion, I often find myself in conservative mediums like weddings and family gatherings where I’m looked upon as this oddball. I’m actually coloring my hair white,” she says.
Kaur is among a handful of designers who are always pushing the needle forward in terms of beauty and diversity when it comes to casting for campaigns and the runway. “When I cast models, it’s always been about celebrating the modern Indian beauty. And when it comes to that, I always turn the spotlight on diversity because it’s all about embracing your own individuality, size or color and not about trying to fit yourself into a societal norm,” she says.
Kaur admits that when she started out a decade ago, she made a conscious decision to work with Indian women only. “Early on in my career, I had the option of casting foreign models. They came at a fraction of the price. But, I wanted to use my power to change perceptions and to make people aspire for a different kind of beauty. I’m quite proud of the fact that I’ve been one of only a handful of designers who have included duskier women in their campaigns,” she adds.
#SHOWUS MORE WOMEN WHO CHAMPION DIVERSITY
This story is from the October 2019 edition of Grazia.
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This story is from the October 2019 edition of Grazia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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