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For 28-year-old freelance stylist, choreographer and voice-over artist Tanvi Geetha Ravishankar, walking the ramp at the audition for Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) and aLL: the Plus Size Store’s first-ever plus-size show for men and women, brought back memories of another audition a long time ago. “I had auditioned for a fashion show back in college. Everybody loved the way I walked and the confidence I exuded. But I didn’t end up getting selected because I was overweight,” recalls Ravishankar. But on Friday evening at St Regis, Mumbai, Ravishankar walked the ramp wearing a “Pataka” t-shirt, in front of a jury comprising choreographer Lubna Adams, actor-director Divya Khosla Kumar, IMG Reliance Vice President and Head-Fashion Jaspreet Chandok, aLL’s Business Head Manish Aziz, and milliner designer Shilpa Chavan of Little Shilpa. An Andheri girl, she was one among the 10 finalists — six girls and four boys — selected for the plus-size show that will be part of LFW’s Winter/Festive 2016 edition (Aug 24-28).

At the modelling audition with a difference — requirements stated, “waists 34 inches upwards for women and 40 inches upwards for men” — confidence was a pre-requisite. And the 160 contestants, who turned up to try their luck, had it in spades. For Chavan, who will be styling and curating the show, it is the beginning of a “much-needed movement”. “Who says plus-size people can’t be fashionable? I don’t subscribe to ‘one size fits all’ model. Today, even social media is pushing for individual acceptance and body positivity, so this show couldn’t have come at a better time,” she said.

And while internationally plus-sized models such as Sports Illustrated cover star Ashley Graham, H&M model Tara Lynn, Pirelli calendar girl Candice Huffine and Tess Holliday and her #effyourbeautystandards movement may exhort women to embrace their natural curves, the reality of redefining the fashion industry’s set standards of beauty is clearly another story. Chandok, who gave the contestants a pep talk before the qualifying rounds began, responded to the levelled cynicism with optimism. “We feel the business of fashion will only increase when there is acceptability and inclusiveness. Designs seen on the ramp should be accessible to everyone, no matter what their body type or size,” he said.

The show, being touted as India’s first plus-sized show on a fashion week platform, is a sponsored initiative and hence may elicit some skepticism, but Chandok believes it’s a step in the right direction. “Globally, the conversation is moving towards inclusiveness. This show is not a gimmick, it’s a conversation-starter,” he stated. And to keep this conversation from flagging he hopes to engage with designers and see how they can bring plus-sized elements in their shows in seasons to come. “While stereotypes may take years to dissipate, we at Lakme Fashion Week, with the equity we have in the industry, can perhaps take the lead and quicken the process,” he said.

Even as Chandok discussed the potential of the plus-size clothing market in the country, Chavan, known for her individualistic sense of design, spoke about throwing the rule book out of the window with this show. “While basic rules of dressing such as avoiding horizontal stripes and large prints may apply, I won’t let them hold me back. My mantra will be ‘less is more’,” she said.

And while Ravishankar and her fellow finalists posed for the photographers, there were others like Vadodara-based assistant director Kanupriya Nagar, 30, who was initially crestfallen at having been rejected, but soon regained her composure to say, “Usually, overweight people don’t get these opportunities. This has given a big boost to my confidence and I hope to pursue my childhood dream of walking the ramp in the future.” Perhaps, as Chandok says, the conversation for inclusiveness has already begun.Read more at:pink formal dresses