VOGUE India January - February 2023

SURRENDER, FLOW, HEART-BASED logic, equanimity, sleep, nature, connection, purpose, play and, dare I say it, even woo woo… I’m not one for specific resolutions, but there was certainly an energy I was hoping to harness as I woke up on 1 January. Stepping into 2023 with our first issue of the year, the message is clear: good vibes only. I love nothing more than a model moment; give me an editorial face any day. South Asian models, from the upcoming to the well-established, have been key in connecting the subcontinent to the runways of Paris, campaigns, billboards and the pages of magazines, and remain, in my opinion, one of our most exciting contributions to the global fashion stage. In our cover story, shot by Nick Sethi in the gardens of Mumbai,…

SURABHI YADAV Yadav is a gender and rural development practitioner, and the founder of Sajhe Sapne, a rural women-focused social enterprise. She is also the creator of the internationally praised project Basanti: Women At Leisure. In ‘The right to rest’, Yadav makes a case for why leisure lies at the heart of feminist liberation. Page 74 NICK SETHI Florida-born Sethi’s photography focuses on capturing the essence of the human spirit. In ‘All about Avanti’, he shoots model-of-the-moment and cover star Avanti Nagrath against the varied cityscape of Mumbai. Page 82 Laura Gavrilenko Burman Paris-based model and creative director Gavrilenko Burman has worked with various prestigious houses and publications across the globe, including Vogue. In ‘Sun worship’ she visually manifests the human connection with the source of life on earth. Page 50 James Tolich An Auckland native, Tolich…

Blind spot A surrealist twist to grand symbolism, apply a Dali-esque eye to everyday trinkets Heavenly bodies Align with the moon’s many moods and recharge your totemic trinkets which promise to never let your light be eclipsed NEW PHASES OF the moon bring different energies that can help cleanse and charge your crystals. So if you’re going to be working with the moon, understanding the energies each phase brings is key, as lunar energy can help you enhance the intentions you pull into your talismans. For example, the full moon’s waning phase moving into the blackness of the new moon instigates release. Eye speak Age-old rituals that redress style with intention, a strong hand of classic kohl shields in more ways than one Lady luck Tales from dune-capped Bikaner’s by-lanes uncover a shining amulet: the mandaliya is just…

Everyone’s like, ‘who’s this clown walking?!’” laughs Madhulika Sharma. The model, reflecting on how her buttoned-up neighbours might perceive her flamboyant style, lives right on Wall Street in New York City’s financial district. “My personal style is very colourful, so I always stand out as I’m by the Stock Exchange.” Indeed, in a sea of men in suits and boots, Assam-born Sharma’s sartorial effervescence makes her easy to spot. However, anyone in the 24-year-old’s presence could note that it’s not simply her dynamic flair that catches the attention but her razor-sharp, determined mind. Sharma was born and raised in Assam, south of the eastern Himalayas, where she and her family lived before moving to Arunachal Pradesh, tucked between the Himalayan mountains. There, her childhood consisted of school and coming home to “dilly…

“Living in Bondi allows for a morning dip in the ocean, a sauna, or an ice plunge in the ocean pool before work” “My work desk is very minimal. I just need my laptop, notebook and pen. Although I operate digitally for the most part, I do rely on the more tactile and analogue moments as well. Putting pen to paper is important to me and I find that it allows me to process thoughts and ideas in a way that a screen doesn’t” “My workspace is at home. I guess it’s where I am most in my element. It’s quiet and I mostly operate in solitude. Although I am social, I am quite introverted when it comes to my job. I do my deepest work early in the morning or late…

If seen through the lens of creativity, Yayoi Kusama’s spot-covered beautiful anomalies—seen on unusually large pumpkins, tentacles, and hypnotic spotted surfaces—have a lot in common with Louis Vuitton, the luxury lover’s go-to name. On the surface, these two strong entities may seem to stand poles apart—one drenches its luggage in an emblematic four-point star and a quartet-petalled flower, while the other uses polka dots. But under these attractively packaged masterpieces, the goal for each has always been to create something infinite in its essence. Kusama’s body of work references a new form of minimalism, an idea that is ingrained in the country’s subcultures. The philosophy behind creating these avant-garde installations, encrypted with Morse code-like symbolism, reveals more about the inner workings of the artist’s mind. “I used to live in poverty,…