FT NEWS

Among a slew of Indian faces that walked the ramp at Milan and Paris Fashion Week earlier this year was a boy from Delhi, who took to the global ramp by storm. 24-year-old Saurabh Chaudhary walked the ramp for Dolce & Gabbana and Giorgio Armani and realised his dream of strutting on the International runway. In an exclusive fashion shoot with us, he shares his journey and experience.

Saurabh began his modelling career in the year 2017 and started off his journey with a Delhi-based agency that promotes diverse faces in fashion. During his initial days in modelling, he would go for casting in Delhi and got a chance to work with some prominent names in fashion. Chaudhary also had that desire to see himself walk for International designers and make it to Paris and Milan. He soon changed his modelling agency and through his mother agency Inega, he was placed with PRM, a London-based agency.

When quizzed how he made it to Dolce & Gabbana and Giorgio Armani show, he says, "The selection process was really though. There were hundreds of models standing in the queue to audition for the show and there were some big names too who were in the row but couldn't make it. I got selected and I would call it my sheer luck."

Chaudhary feels elated that being a person of colour he made it to the mainstream. "Just like any other model around the world, I was also fascinated by a few internationally renowned brands and D&G and Giorgio Armani are surely among them. I am very happy to represent India and so glad that now the designer especially started allowing a segment in their shows for brown skin or let's say Indian models."

When Giorgio Armani came for the fitting session, he instantly pointed at Saurabh and praised him for his features. "When he came for our fitting session,he pointed at me and said see 'Indiano', as if this outfit is specially made for this Indian guy standing there. I can't express how proud I felt that finally, we are getting worldwide recognition."