The London Fashion Week usually sets the mood for the international fashion week marathon, which includes the Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week. It is truly an exciting period for fashionistas. So when city-based fashion model Irene Augustin walked the ramp at the London Fashion Week 2022, which took place between Feb 18 and Feb 22, it was a dream come true. In fact, she was the only Indian model to have been there.
Augustin did a show for one of the top fashion universities, Central Saint Martins, London. “Every year they put up a show at the London Fashion Week. I wore a creation of a Nepali designer named Shakila Thebe. For her collection, she drew inspiration from the paddy fields,” says Augustin, who has been the face of fashion labels like Anavila and Masaba, and has walked the ramp for various Indian fashion weeks.
The city-based model missed out on being part of the main shows since ‘casting was done way ahead of the fashion week’ and she reached London only in the first week of February. However, the experience was still exciting. “There were people from the industry present. It definitely does elevate your game as a model. This was something that was on my bucket list,” says Augustin, adding that the London Fashion Week has always received attention from international media, which is good for models.
Her job might look glamorous but Augustin points out that making a cut, especially internationally, is very difficult. “For all of these fashion weeks, there’s a height criteria which is the hardest to get through. It is 5’10’’ and above and I am 5’8’’. Sometimes, they do let go of it but it is such a hit on the situation,” says Augustin, adding that this requirement is particularly difficult for Indians to meet. “One of the fashion designers said she would love me to showcase her collection, but all her apparels were for models above 5’10’’. She said, ‘The clothes are going to hang on you no matter how high your heels are’,” says Augustin, whose agency Milk Model Management helped her get the part.
Due to Covid-19, the London Fashion Week this year was not as grand as the previous ones with only a few celebrities in attendance. “Fashion weeks are usually hectic so I could not make it to the after party,” says Augustin. She also had plans to attend the recently-concluded Milan Fashion Week and the ongoing Paris Fashion Week but due to visa issues, she had to change plans. “I am going to be in London till the first week of April and create different fashion photoshoots for my portfolio,” says Augustin.