Fashion Designer Sharmila Nair’s Groundbreaking Campaign Features Transgender Models

The photos of the shoot, which see Menon and Savithri draped in handloom cotton saris with earthy colors and an elegant feel, are part of her new collection Mazhavi,

Written by: Saloni Gajjar

Published: July 5, 2016, 9:10 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/lifestyle/fashion-designer-sharmila-nairs-groundbreaking-campaign-features-transgender-models-1211103/ Copy

[Photo Credit: Facebook/Red Lotus]

Kerala-based fashion designer Sharmila Nair is helping break barriers when it comes to the perception of transgenders in the Indian community. Through her sari label, Red Lotus, Nair is promoting the message of equality: the two stars of her latest campaign—Maya Menon and Gowri Savithri—are beautiful transgender models.

The photos of the shoot, which see Menon and Savithri draped in handloom cotton saris with earthy colors and an elegant feel, are part of her new collection Mazhavi, which when translated to Malayalam means ‘rainbow.’

According to Nair, she wanted to focus on the plight of the ostracized gender in the community by getting them in the limelight. For her, this is mission accomplished, and we are inclined to agree. Red Lotus’ Facebook page also says this collection is dedicated to the most loving community, the transgenders.

[Photo Credit: Facebook/Red Lotus]

“It should really open up more opportunities for transgender [people]. People should break the ice, “ she said in an interview with Fusion’s Nidhi Prakash.

It is also hard to believe that Menon and Savithri have no professional modeling experience because they pull off the saris with grace and glamor.

Fusion also reports that both the women are from Kerala, a state which far exceeds the rest of the country and even the United States when it comes to protecting the rights of transgenders.

[Photo Credit: Facebook/Red Lotus]

The Indian Supreme Court, in 2014, recognized a third gender for those who do not identify as either male or female. Despite this decision, trans people or hijras are often belittled in the society and are forced to beg on the streets or perform in weddings/birth celebrations. To top it all, many are abandoned by their families.

Luckily, representing them in a different, normal light in the media tends to have a deeper impact. Through the works of Nair and the recently formed transgender band, 6 Pack Band, there is hopefully some light at the end of the tunnel.