When Avinas, a native of Manipur, came to Kerala a couple of years ago - just like the thousands of migrant workers in the state - he was attracted by the comparatively high wages and living standards.
The 26-year-old had limited aspirations and did not dream anything beyond just earning his daily bread. But thanks to DesiTude, a Kerala-based clothing brand which specialises in Khadi denim, Avinash can now brag about being a 'fashion model'.
Like Avinas, DesiTude, has several other models showcasing the outfits produced by the brand.
Siddharth Mohan Nair, the founder of DesiTude told Indiatimes that when it came to modelling he did not want to go the cliched way and wanted to feature everyday people without make-ups as the face of his brand.
But it was a chance conversation with a photographer friend Anjali Gopan who wanted to feature people from different regions wearing the same dress for a project of her own gave Siddharth the idea of using them as models for DesiTude.
Siddharth said he was pleasantly surprised to get a positive response from his 'models' when he approached them requesting to pose for DesiTude.
The first photoshoot was done featuring Vijayalakshmi from Tamil Nadu, who along her husband irons clothes on the streets of Thiruvananthapuram to make a living.
With the confidence of the first photo shoot, Siddharth and DesiTude features four more migrant workers in Kerala working in totally different sectors.
While Avinas hails from Manipur, another model Arjun is from Jharkhand.
Another face featuring in the shoot is Tonpha who is from Nagaland.
DesiTude also featured Akash Bisht, who is originally from Nepal and has been living and working in Kerala for the past couple of years.
Asked about the challenges of shooting with non-professional and non-camera friendly models, Siddharth said it was easier than what he had imagined.
"Most of them had it easy. We decided to go for simple poses and normal backgrounds which kept the shoot to the basics. If you see the photos most of them look like they are in deep thought. It was done to make them and the photographer at ease," Siddharth said.
Other models of DesiTude include school children, daily wage workers and even an 84-year-old woman.
Launched in April 2016, DesiTude is probably the only such brand in India making custom stitched apparels from handspun Khadi denim. With little to no marketing budget, Siddharth said DesiTude has become popular mostly to word-of-mouth publicity.
In 2016 Siddharth had shared an ambitious idea of planting a tree sapling for every piece of denim DesiTude sells. When asked about, the Energy and environment engineer said so far he has planted 180 saplings in his native of Palakkad and aims to do more in the coming days.
The 26-year-old had limited aspirations and did not dream anything beyond just earning his daily bread. But thanks to DesiTude, a Kerala-based clothing brand which specialises in Khadi denim, Avinash can now brag about being a 'fashion model'.
Like Avinas, DesiTude, has several other models showcasing the outfits produced by the brand.
Siddharth Mohan Nair, the founder of DesiTude told Indiatimes that when it came to modelling he did not want to go the cliched way and wanted to feature everyday people without make-ups as the face of his brand.
But it was a chance conversation with a photographer friend Anjali Gopan who wanted to feature people from different regions wearing the same dress for a project of her own gave Siddharth the idea of using them as models for DesiTude.
Siddharth said he was pleasantly surprised to get a positive response from his 'models' when he approached them requesting to pose for DesiTude.
The first photoshoot was done featuring Vijayalakshmi from Tamil Nadu, who along her husband irons clothes on the streets of Thiruvananthapuram to make a living.
With the confidence of the first photo shoot, Siddharth and DesiTude features four more migrant workers in Kerala working in totally different sectors.
While Avinas hails from Manipur, another model Arjun is from Jharkhand.
Another face featuring in the shoot is Tonpha who is from Nagaland.
DesiTude also featured Akash Bisht, who is originally from Nepal and has been living and working in Kerala for the past couple of years.
Asked about the challenges of shooting with non-professional and non-camera friendly models, Siddharth said it was easier than what he had imagined.
"Most of them had it easy. We decided to go for simple poses and normal backgrounds which kept the shoot to the basics. If you see the photos most of them look like they are in deep thought. It was done to make them and the photographer at ease," Siddharth said.
Other models of DesiTude include school children, daily wage workers and even an 84-year-old woman.
Launched in April 2016, DesiTude is probably the only such brand in India making custom stitched apparels from handspun Khadi denim. With little to no marketing budget, Siddharth said DesiTude has become popular mostly to word-of-mouth publicity.
In 2016 Siddharth had shared an ambitious idea of planting a tree sapling for every piece of denim DesiTude sells. When asked about, the Energy and environment engineer said so far he has planted 180 saplings in his native of Palakkad and aims to do more in the coming days.