Taking Indian fashion to high streets of Paris, Milan: Masoom Minawala's success story

Super stylish, innovative and original is what comes to mind every time Indian fashion influencer, entrepreneur Masoom Minawala takes to her Instagram account where she connects with her more than a million followers. After a whirlwind round of fashion outings at Paris Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and now India’s very own FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week that is running from March 22 through March 27, Masoom gives us a showdown of what it feels like to represent India on these world platforms.

In a tete-a-tete with WION, Masoom Minawala takes a pause from her many fashionable outings to take us through her world that is glamorous and shiny but full of hard work. 

Here are the excerpts from our chat: 

WION: Currently in Delhi, you recently walked for designer Varun Bahl at the FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week. What was the feeling like to become the first Indian content creator to walk the runway as a showstopper?

Masoom: Firstly, it is such an amazing feeling to be home and attend the Lakmé Fashion Week! I’ve always believed in utilising my platform to communicate the brilliance of Indian designers to my global community. Showcasing the innovation that lies in contemporary Indian fashion makes me extremely proud. It’s a pleasure to take Indian fashion to the world from the ramps of my home country.

WION: You’re not new to Fashion Weeks. Was there anything different this time around considering the past two years were dulled down because of the pandemic?

Masoom: This season of the fashion week was a personal milestone for me in more ways than I could have imagined. It marked my journey of five years and I decided to produce an exclusive social media reality show, #MasoomTakesFashionWeek, to make the fashion week more accessible for my community and the responses I got from it was beyond overwhelming.

WION: How does it feel like representing India in such platforms, collaborating with high-end brands and making them aware of the Indian sensibilities?

Masoom: It’s always an honour to represent the intricacies of my cultural heritage. That being said, I feel like this season was the one when Indian designers took over Milan fashion week and I was so proud of representing Indian craftsmanship on the runway in a Vaishali S showstopper ensemble. I’m honoured to contribute to Indian designers who are showcasing the Indian sensibility of design to the world. 

WION: What all brands were you invited to this season? How did you come around getting invited for these shows/ presentations?

Masoom: For the first time in five years, I finally got an invite for my first ever Fendi show and that felt like a win. I also attended the Emporio Armani and Tods show this season along with presentations such as Furla, Bulgari, Dhruv Kapoor, Jimmy Choo, Salvatore Ferragamo among others. 

WION: You’re someone who champions Indian fashion on the streets of Paris or Milan. Are people receptive to Indian labels and designs? 

Masoom: Being completely honest here, no matter where I go, whichever Indian silhouette or accessories I have embraced, I have always been complemented for it. When people ask me, where it’s from, I feel immense pride in telling them about the Indian labels. 

WION: Something memorable you can share with us from this edition’s shows.

Masoom: There has been an evident shift towards fusion clothing and the Gucci X Adidas collection made an impact. The lines between comfort and statement fashion are merging. Furthermore, most of the design houses are focusing on making a sustainable shift, one consciousness collection that stuck with me was of Furla; they crafted their bags from used plastic. 

WION: Since you’ve seen runway fashion of the year so closely, can you tell us what trends will dictate this year, from colour to cloth material or style in general?

Masoom: In terms of ensembles, co-ord sets are going to be huge. They also have a great re-wear value and in terms of bags, it will be slouchy pouches and hardware in accessories is going to be the next big thing. 

WION: Your favourite style trend this year?

Masoom: It has to be my love for voluminous silhouettes!  

WION: How does it feel like to be a part of the global fashion industry and where do you plan to take your brand from here?

Masoom: It honestly feels amazing to be recognised for paving my own path and pursuing my dream. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that my mission of putting Indian fashion on the map would resonate with a global community and I’m nothing but grateful. 

WION: How do you feel about competition among influencers in today’s day and age when there’s easy access to content and dirth of originality at the same time?

Masoom: I personally think that the influencer industry is a space that respects individuality; it’s a space that thrives on co-existence rather than competition.