In 2022, Louis Vuitton employed its first ever Afghan Sikh model to feature in one of its campaigns. Karanjee Gaba sported a bright pink suit and a black turban, and caused a social media frenzy.
The London-based model has had a successful career, having featured in Lewis Magazine, Paper Magazine, and 10 Magazine among others.
Speaking about how he got into modelling, Gaba told GUAP:
"In my teenage years, I was always the tall one amongst my friends and family. I always loved being stylish and colour-coordinating my clothes. I used to do photography and at some point, I was teaching my friends how to shoot with me as the subject. Unknowingly, I had made my own portfolio, and that is when the journey of modelling began. I was approached on one of my social media accounts by a stylist who asked me to shoot for Lurve Magazine. Two weeks later, I walked in the Nicholas Daley show. Since then I haven’t looked back."Karanjee Gaba
He also said that modelling allows him to meet people from different ethnicities, culture and experiences, thus making it a fulfilling experience.
"It is a place where you can represent and tell your story through fashion. It is fun and exciting as it is always a brand new day in fashion. It is unexpected as you do not know who you will meet and who you will work with. Together you are creating art," he said.
Speaking about the time he got a call from Louis Vuitton asking him to model for them, Gaba said that he was in "shock" and that he "couldn't believe it."
"I remember two months before, my friend was showing me the book of Tim Walker, the greatest photographers in fashion. Then, two months later I was grateful to be working with him on set and for Louis Vuitton. It felt like a dream, but it was real," he told GUAP.
Sharing his thoughts on the future of the fashion industry, Gaba said that he would like to see more cultural representation in catwalks. "I have seen many shows and I see that it doesn’t consist of diversity like in campaigns and other sectors of fashion. It needs to have a change and we are all waiting for it."
(With inputs from GUAP.)
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