Acid Attack Survivors Set New Standards for Fashion and Beauty on Delhi Ramp

New Delhi (Sputnik) — A recent fashion event organized in the Indian capital New Delhi proved that fashion has no boundaries and is all inclusive as acid attack survivors from across the country took to the runway wearing the trendiest of designer outfits.

The event was organized by an NGO — Make Love Not Scars. Sputnik talked to Tania Singh, Vice President of the organization to understand more about the event and the purpose behind it.

Sputnik: What was the inspiration behind the unique concept of a fashion show for acid victim survivors?

Tania Singh: The idea was simple, the designers would donate beautiful pieces of clothing for auction from their lines and the money raised from the sale of these clothes would go towards the rehabilitation of our acid attack survivors. We were approached by the founder of ‘Rent a Closet' with this concept of bringing together India's leading designers for a good cause. It was an inspiring and cohesive effort and a humbling journey.

Sputnik: What is Make Love Not Scars organization all about?

Tania Singh: Our mission is to provide dignity and independence to acid attack survivors from all walks of life by focusing on their complete rehabilitation. We try and do this in multiple ways which include encouraging them to dream big, fighting stereotypes and coming together as a community to ignite the hope for a promising future.

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Sputnik: How many such women have been helped by your organization so far?

Tania Singh: We try and offer a safe haven for survivors and a place they can come to for love, guidance, friendships, and freedom. Till now, we have rehabilitated more than seventy survivors at our center in New Delhi and we are in the process of opening a new center in Mumbai.

Sputnik: Tell us more about the inception of your organization?

Tania Singh: Make Love Not Scars was founded by Ria Sharma when she was 21. Ria was studying fashion at the Leeds College of Art in the UK when she came across a photograph of an acid attack survivor. The photograph devastated her and she could not get the image out of her mind. She continued to speak of this horror to her professor who in turn, handed her a camera and told her to go back to India to shoot a documentary on the topic, believing that Ria might actually have something there. At this point, Ria returned to India in her final year of college to shoot this documentary. As she spoke to the survivors, she realized that the survivors needed immediate help on the ground and as a result of this she shelved the idea for the documentary and established a full-fledged NGO instead.

Sputnik: How did the show go through? How was the experience and learning?

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Tania Singh: Well, it was extremely difficult to carry off because we had never planned a show of this magnitude before! We had to fly our survivors in and were way behind schedule! However, the main idea was to ensure that the survivors had a good time, and they did! We never even practiced or tried the outfits prior to the show. Backstage was a total wreck, however, we laughed through it all. One could sense the excitement in the air and the people who came down for the show all said that they had a great time.