The Dotboomers

This isn't just about leggy bubbleheads in tiaras talking gibberish about world peace or dragging Mother Teresa out of her grave. The truth is, Indian models are slowly but steadily finding a toehold in the competitive international fashion bazaar.

The flag-bearer of this cohort of dusky, dark-eyed beauties is Ujjwala Raut. No stranger to New York's billboards, she raked in $2 million (Rs 9.16 crore) last year. Having worked with prestigious names like Prada, Paco Rabanne, Jean-Louis Scherrer and Emanuel Ungaro, she went on to bag the coveted face-of-the-year assignment for Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics this year – the first Indian model to do so.

Ujjwala has company in Saira Mohan. Branded the 'new global standard of beauty', she appeared on the cover of Newsweek magazine's November 10, '03, issue. Meghna Reddy's success isn't as spectacular, but after moving to New York, she's put some impressive names on her CV.

She has worked for Tommy Hilfiger and Baby Phat's '03 international summer campaign. She's also modelled for celebrity hair stylist Frederick Fekkai. Rohini Tiwari made the cover of V magazine and did a 5-page spread for Jane Magazine, a popular US teenage monthly. As Ujjwala says, "The Indian look is being appreciated in the international scene."

Sushma Puri, MD, Elite Model India, the local arm of one of the world's biggest modelling agencies, agrees with Ujjwala, "The ambiguous look is the current rage in the fashion frontiers...brands want a face that isn't easily identified with any particular region of the world."

And Indian models seem to fit the bill perfectly. It's helped that international modelling agencies like Elite and Metropolitan have been setting up shop in India. Elite's first batch has already started getting breaks abroad – twenty-one-year-old Neha Kapur was spotted by Karin Models, an international agency that took her to New York, where she now works. Sonalika Sahay has been chosen as the face of Christian Dior watches and will participate in the Beijing Fashion Week this November. Earlier this year, Metropolitan model Monikangana Dutta also got a break with Parisian brands like Christian Dior, Ungaro and Chantall.

There's more good news. Ford Models' Super Model of the World contest is to be revived this year in India. The winner will get a three-year contract for $250,000 (Rs 1.14 crore) apart from immense international exposure.

Indian models had found decent work overseas since the 1970s, but the successes of Anjali Mendes and, later, Shyamoli Varma were exceptions. The international fashion world only really noticed when models like Ujjwala, Sheetal Mallar, Vidisha Pavate and Laxmi Menon would follow, earning substantial international experience at different stages of the 1990s. Ujjwala made it big after she was selected to model at the prestigious Igedo fashion fair at Dusseldorf, Germany. Jesse Randhawa also had the honour of walking the ramp there, apart from working with Nevs and Sodamm Tuff in London for seven months in 2002. Joey Matthew too worked with Nevs. Sheetal, like Ujjwala, was among the top finalists at Elite supermodel contest in 1994, while Pavate went on to become the first Indian model to win the Ford supermodel contest in 1996.

Much of this (and all the early success) was achieved in the absence of any professional modelling agencies in India. The usual route followed by these models was to go abroad with or without the help of an agent and then rough it out there till they got noticed. "Girls would often jeopardise their security, as some foreign agencies/agents were not trustworthy," says designer Hemant Trevedi, who was responsible for bringing Ujjwala on to the Indian and world stage

This is one reason why Indian supermodels like Madhu Sapre or Mehr Jessia couldn't make it big abroad. Used to being supermodels, they were not equipped to start from scratch in a demanding alien environment.For instance, in Paris there can be 10 fashion shows in a day whereas in places like Delhi you might have a couple of them in a month. "Models who make it big here get so pampered that they can't face the hardship of doing it all over again," feels Trevedi. For instance, Randhawa didn't seem too enamoured by her London experience and says, "most models are paid better here and I wouldn't like to work abroad any more".

The payment varies depending on the region, the modelling agency one is working with and the model. A supermodel in India charges anywhere between Rs 30,000-35,000 per show. Now, an agency like Metropolitan sends the model to Paris, gives her a sitting fee and an apartment on sharing basis till she finds work. The sitting fee is then deducted from what the model earns. A new face in Europe may earn anything between Euros 1,000-1,500 (Rs 57-86,000) per show, while supermodels charge Euros 25,000 (Rs 14.27 lakh) and above. So for a newcomer, working abroad means a lot of money. But it's different for a supermodel. Though she might still earn more than what she is earning here, if you factor in her work experience, she doesn't get a good deal.

There is a solid commercial reason why the western world is investing big bucks in Indian beauty. For western cosmetic and fashion brands, Asia is the next big market. "Having an Asian model for a product to be launched in Asia helps to market the brand better," says image consultant Prasad Bidapa. And what's encouraging foreign brands is the fact that the new-generation Indian models are taller, fitter and more professional. Extending the scope of the Indian model's international success will always be hard work. For every professional agency, there are at least a hundred fly-by-night operators waiting to make a quick buck out of millions of unfulfilled dreams of a glamorous profession.

And however hard the work put in, genes play a role; there will only be so many Ujjwala Rauts and Vidisha Pavates. Nevertheless, the professionalism shown by them and their peers will stand the industry in good stead in gradually shedding its dim bimbo image.