“One’s importance should not get affected by these stereotypes”, Fashion Model, Riddhi Dasgupta

“One’s importance should not get affected by these stereotypes”, Fashion Model, Riddhi Dasgupta

Riddhi started modeling in 2016 when she was in college. She did fashion and business management at Pearl Academy. There were a lot of designers, stylists, and other professionals who used to ask her to model in their projects. In that process, Riddhi developed an interest in modeling.

Initially, it was not easy for Riddhi to make it into the industry. She faced many discriminations based on her height and skin. She revealed that modeling had disturbed her mental health and there is something about the industry that no one talks about. Riddhi said people, say it is just about glamour, posing, and looking pretty but it is a lot more. Modeling is very physically exhausting. People in the industry are constantly judging based on the way a person looks like. They cannot change the way they look and be judged solely on this becomes a part of self-esteem and damages it.

” I am 5’5 that is considered short in the industry. When I started I was approached by the company, Jaypore and started modeling with them. It was fun as in print modeling height is not a big criteria. But to progress in this industry and to do ramp walk one has to be taller. I have nine tattos that has also been a point of discrimination”.

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When asked Riddhi how she handled these discriminations, she did not only reveal her story but advised aspiring people,

“It is hard but one has to have the thick skin. I would suggest anyone who wants to get into modeling that one should have this mindset that their work is not dependent on the way they look. People in the industry are already bored, their garments are of a certain size that one do not gets fit in. This does not mean one is not beautiful. Everyone is beautiful. One’s importance should not get affected by these stereotypes”.

Currently, Riddhi is working in a marketing sector of a company, Rangsutra craft. The company works with the designs in the remote part of India. She loves working in the company and interned with the same company during her college days. She got the job post lockdown. Riddhi’s grandmother is her biggest inspiration. Her grandmother used to work with craftsmen in Bengal and Riddhi have always loved art and craft.

Riddhi also works for the sustainable fashion sector in her company. She is the biggest supporter of sustainable fashion. During her college days, Riddhi did a lot of research on sustainability for projects. In fact, she has two degrees in sustainability. One is from the University of Copenhagen which was a certification program on sustainable fashion. However, the other one was on sustainable business strategy from Harvard Business School in online mode. Talking further on sustainability, Riddhi says,

“I think brands have the responsibilty to market themselves. Also, communicate to the audience about how they are being sustainable. The consumer should also know they have right to demand the transparency in the supply chain and what exactly the company is doing that is sustainable. It is about educating ourselves. Furthermore, I feel the company has more bigger responsibility than consumer.

Sustainability is must. People have to work on it. It is not about showing one is sustainable but actually they are not. There are multiple aspects to sustainability. One can be socially sustainable and environmentally sustainable and it is a matter of absolute concern”.

 

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Riddhi did several modeling projects. She has worked with Jaypore, Uber Eats, Spicejet, Gulaal Creations, HT city, Earthy Scent, Droom, and many more. She has performed at a show for designer Prashant Verma and Lotus Fashion Week by FDCI. Moreover, she has also worked as a talent manager for a while at TSS. When Riddhi started modeling she was completely unaware of how the modeling industry works. She had no one to guide her and learned through the process, meeting different people and the projects she did.

“The industry was new to me. When I was working with Jaypore, I used to work with a stylist. He taught me posing. When I got approached by the agency, the owner of that agency also helped me. But I did not have any one person guiding me.

I had a lot of people calling me and asking they want to be a model and how should they start. Hence, I know I can tell them exactly on what to do, how to approach people and how not to get exploitated at work. I wish I had someone like me because I have made a lot of mistakes on the way”.

Being a hardworking person Riddhi dedicates her energy towards her work. She loves summer and everything about it from food to beaches and more. Her personal style includes bohemian clothes like baggy pants, accessories, and different colors. Talking about current fashion trends, Riddhi said,

“I am not very fond of fast fashion. I feel we should turn more towards handicrafts and quality clothing over quantity. What I like right now is a lot of people are actually turning towards thrift stores and supporting local buisnesses. That makes me really happy”.

Also Read: From being an introvert to a confident model, Aksharaa has come a long way