During Milan Fashion Week, an Indian story is gaining attention for giving a voice to society’s underprivileged sections. The international fashion gala CNMI SUSTAINABLE FASHION AWARDS 2022 recognized the work of a collective of acid attack survivors who work under the label Ara Lumiere.
Milan Fashion Week Honors Acid Attack Survivor
On September 24th, the award was presented to Ara Lumiere, a fashion brand that aims to empower acid and burn victim-survivors through handcrafted clothing and other items created by survivors of such attacks.
The collection titled “The Unbound,” assembled by the Hothur Foundation under the guidance of Kulsum Shadab Wahab, pays respect to creative self-expression despite the existence of upheaval and suffering that transformed the survivors’ responses and conduct towards the world.
This collection displayed a surreal image of all the wounds and wrinkles of terrible stories together with the body and mind’s torments and difficulties when trauma separates emotion from the body.
Since February 2019, Ara Lumiere has been featured on the official calendar of Milan Fashion Week. This year’s designs vividly reflect the survivor’s beliefs on art and identity.
Ara Lumiere unveils its debut collection of ready-to-wear. All profits from this line are created entirely by women who have survived acid attacks and will go toward funding their rehabilitation and re-entering society. Additionally, Cartiera participates in the Designers for Ethical Fashion Project. The brand commits to training and employing refugees, asylum-seekers, and other individuals in difficult circumstances. They’re trying to eliminate the discrimination that currently makes it necessary to hire unqualified foreign labor.
Kulsum Shadab Wahab – the one who empowered acid-attack survivors
The Hothur Foundation, led by Kulsum Shadab Wahab, is situated in Bengaluru and has been doing excellent work to improve the lives of the city’s economically disadvantaged residents.
The organization is devoted to several causes, including healing and empowering acid attack survivors, educating girls, supporting children with special needs, and providing safe housing for those in need.
As soon as she begins to describe her journey working with the disadvantaged, her comprehension of human pain becomes apparent. She has worked for over a decade and is a firm believer in “giving back to the community.”
She is one of the few people who have successfully married their passion for fashion with their goals in life. And over the past nine years, she has devotedly pursued this objective.
“I desired to reinvent beauty. I wanted to eliminate the stigma attached to acid attacks and the survivors. I wanted to give them a purpose. As a child growing up in India, I was intrigued by fashion. It gives me immense happiness to realize that my passion for fashion has given the survivors a sense of purpose and relief through Ara Lumiere,” shares Kulsum.
Ara Lumiere, a fashion luxury business whose theme is “The art of perseverance woven into perfection by acid attack survivors,” has received worldwide recognition for headgears handcrafted by acid attack survivors.
In addition, Kulsum has been doing everything it can to spread the word about Skin Banking.
Using a method similar to organ donation, skin banking is the process of storing and preserving donated skin and can be further utilized to treat acid-burn survivors.
“I feel connected with each of the survivors that I have come across. We are not just helping the survivors get through tough times but we aim to empower the entire family. It might also include the children’s upbringing or livelihood for their husbands. It is a strategy,” she adds.
When asked whether she has any advice for the girls, she says, “Every woman should empower and elevate each other. As women, we should not belittle one another. We cannot change the world, alone. That’s not the case.”
Taapsee Pannu releases Short Film praising the beauty
Through her social media accounts, the Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu released the short film “Vulnerable: Scars That You Don’t See” in India. The short video produced by Shabinaa Khan and Kulsum Shadab Wahab is currently available on YouTube.
The movie had its world premiere during Milan’s Fashion Week.
The theme of Taapsee Pannu’s short film is breaking boundaries; the film promotes inclusivity and equality. It is the first Indian short film to deconstruct conventional beauty standards. It showcases people of many ethnicities and races, as well as survivors of acid attacks from the Hothur Foundation.
Kulsum says, “We are born into a world where everything has been predetermined. That world doesn’t exist anymore and its rules of separation no longer apply. ‘Vulnerable’ is our manifesto of freedom and inclusion. Through the power of ‘art and ‘equity’ we can generate a world of compassion, love, and understanding.”
Shabinaa Khan, a film producer, stated, “How often have we second-guessed our decisions because of who we believe we are? The labels assigned to us restrict our expression and existence. Through ‘Vulnerable’, we hope to celebrate individuality and make inclusivity the status quo. I hope that the viewers enjoy the new age of freedom.”
The film, starring Shabinaa Khan and Arsala Qureishi and directed by Arsala Qureishi and Jas Sagu, features Ara Lumiere’s collection by Kulsum Shadab Wahab, which is out now.
