Designer Anita Dongre shows, through her new initiative, that fashion is not just about dressing up women but also inspiring them. By Ayushi Sharma
You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies, you may trod me in the very dirt but still, like dust, I’ll rise. You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness but still, like air, I’ll rise,’ asserted poet Maya Angelou once and fashion designer Anita Dongre is its firm believer. She feels that empowering women by making them feel to be the best version of themselves is very crucial. “A woman must uplift other women.”
People’s perception of fashion has always floated on the periphery of the industry — alluring clothes, extravagant events, superficial personalities. What escapes is the passion of certain designers, like Dongre, who aim to transcend prejudices to give a voice to the unheard. Brands have changed their ways from being more about fantasy to reality and now, female empowerment to idealisation.
Dongre’s brand, AND launched an initiative #ANDiRise, a platform to share the inspiring stories of ordinary women who have displayed grit, determination and broken stereotypes. They showcased a treasury of inspirational stories of women from different walks of life. Featuring four women — Rujuta Bhatt, swimmer and fitness enthusiast; Vani Kabir, creator of the Modern Sufi; Manisha Mangret, IT professional and aspiring life coach; and Namrata Kalia, architect, writer and founder of Moms and More — each relay their own personal story of overcoming barriers to become their best self.
Putting things into perspective, Manisha Mangret explains that by having a positive mindset, half of the battle is already won. This is what allowed her to come out stronger from a prolonged struggle she had with an acute medical condition, tuberculosis in her small intestine. She says, “I was admitted in ICU for nine months. I was 55 kg before the surgery and just 16 kg after it. I was the happiest person in the hospital just because I had this thing in my mind that I am going to get better after the surgery. I remember one of my doctors handing me over a book and asking me to operate myself mentally before he can go ahead with the surgery. I just want to tell people either you can cry or you can just come out of it and shine bright. You can’t control what life gives you but you can definitely control the reactions.”
For Namrata Kalia, losing her mother at a very young age put her in a shell but it was her daughter that helped her evolve, change and achieve. She says, “You hear struggle stories of celebrities but tales of regular, usual people are rare. People get more inspired when original and real stories get out.”
Single mother, Vani Kabir shares her dilemma with her identity after her divorce and how she took on her son’s name as a surname — Kabir, breaking all possible stereotypes. Rising above her insecurities, she rebuilt her confidence and transformed herself into a fearless writer. Vani apprises us that it was Kabir who came to her that she can use his name as her last. She says, “Kabir is the only man I trust.”
Sportswoman, Rujuta Bhatt was always one to follow her passion since a young age and through her determination, she was able to rise on top after having to face hard-hitting challenges that tore her down.
Anita says, “I am a woman myself and I have dared to dream big. I have achieved them and I still have a lot of things to accomplish. Achieving success doesn’t mean that you will stop working hard. Learning is a process which goes on till eternity.” The designer started her career with two sewing machines and now she has four labels under her. She apprises us that having faced a number of challenges throughout her career, she has always found inspiration in the strength of women around her. It is an amalgamation that commemorates these inspiring women who have overcome hardships in life through hope, courage and wisdom.
She says that she wanted to do something for the women because there is a very small percentage of women in our country who can live lives on their own terms and she wanted these stories of inspiration to be available to all. “Today, we see things evolving but I still think there are so many millions of women out there who live in smaller towns and who are not encouraged to live the lives of their dreams. Seeing stories of Vani, Manisha, Namrata or Rujuta... some story might resonate with her and she might feel if they can work hard for it so can she. I want many girls to become Anita Dongre. Even if we inspire one woman per story it’s well achieved. Women need that kind of inspiration because everybody has a hero and I really want these women to become heroes,” adds the designer.
#AndiRise is very special to Anita. Because, she says, “Very often, I have been asked that who is that one woman who inspires me. I have always said I am inspired by my own belief in myself and countless women I have met in my life. Every time I meet a woman, I take something from her. I am basically a sum total of all the women I have ever met. I love meeting strong women, who can stand up and fight for themselves. I tried to find women, who are not famous and are rising about their circumstances. It’s not just about stories of famous people. I just hope somebody’s story inspires somebody out there.”