KOCHI: Kerala's first transgender models, Maya, 29, and Gowri, 30, have been roped in to model for handloom line Red Lotus. The two have designer Sharmila Nair for their break. "I started with just 15 handloom sarees, and dedicated the collection to transgenders. After I released the video for Red Lotus featuring Maya and Gauri, there had been no looking back. We had to order and re-order sarees."
A yoga trainer, Maya said, "My friends after seeing the advertisements would ask me if I was the same woman in it. And I would confidently say Yes. This whole experience has helped me to come out in front of people, even in front of my own family." Gowri said," Maya at least was earning her livelihood with dignity. I like writing and I have never been offered a job. This opportunity means the world to me."
Nair calls herself an unconventional designer who thinks beyond the ordinary by often picking married women as her models. Admitting the decision didn't come easy with a lot of negative feedback from people, she said she even received shocked reactions from transgenders she approached.
