In September this year, 19-year-old, acid attack victim, Reshma Bano Quereshi, will be hitting the runway during New York Fashion Week.
Two years ago, Mumbai-based 17 year old Quereshi was visiting a town north of Mumbai with her sister and two friends when her brother in law threw acid onto her face while his friends held her down.
“[My sister] shouted, ‘Reshma, you run!’ But before I could do anything, his two friends pushed me to the ground, held my hands and poured sulphuric acid all over my face,” – Quereshi tells People.
The attack left Qureshi’s face severely scarred and caused the loss of an eye. When the government wouldn’t provide any help in covering the cost of surgeries, Quereshi reached out to ‘Make Love Not Scars’. This amazing organisation, works to provide aid to acid attack victims and enable them to regain their lives “on their own terms.” They are also working to have regulations enforced on the sale of acid so that common people are unable to purchase it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BA-CK9NjsiX/
Qureshi is the face of the #EndAcidSales campaign, and as a part of this she has also starred in a series of beauty and makeup vlogs, called Beauty Tips by Reshma.
On the third of august, MLNS released a video on their Youtube channel, which showed the moment that Quereshi found out that she is going to be taking part of the New York Fashion week. This will be her first ever overseas trip.
The production company that has invited her to walk for them is FTL Moda. In the past, the company has worked with stars like Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Drew Barrymore, Lady Gaga, Madonna and many more. As well as their work with these stars they are well known for their runway show at the 2015 NYFW, which featured models with prosthetics and wheelchairs.
They reached out to Quereshi about being part of their #TakeBackBeauty runway show this year. They are hoping to not only revamp their brand but also re-conceptualise the concept of beauty in fashion. They hope to create discussion surrounding stereotypes of beauty.
