Saisha Shinde, the transwoman who designed Harnaaz Sandhu's winning gown
Highlights
- Before coming out as a transgender, the designer Saisha was known as Swapnil Shinde.
- Saisha gave a glimpse of what went into making the sheer embellished gown for Sandhu.
Chandigarh based model and actor, Harnaaz Sandhu, ended India's wait of more than two decades and brought home the Miss Universe crown. On a grand and glamourous night of December 12, Sandhu won the Miss Universe 2021 title at an event held at the Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel. From oozing confidence to believing in herself, Harnaaz Sandhu inspired millions of girls to stand for themselves and work to make their dreams come true. For the grand finale of the beauty pageant, Harnaaz wore a gorgeous gown designed by transgender designer Saisha Shinde.
Saisha Shinde came out as a transwoman at the beginning of this year. She made Harnaaz Sandhu look every bit of a diva in a breathtaking silver gown. It had beaded embellishments along with a plunging neckline. Soon after the win, Saisha shared Harnaaz Sandhu's picture on her Instagram and wrote, "We did it." Surely, the designer was as happy and proud as the entire country.
Saisha also gave a sneak peek into all the work that went into making the sheer embellished gown for Harnaaz Sandhu and shared it on her Instagram Stories.
Making of Harnaaz Sandhu's winning gown
Who is Saisha Shinde?
Before coming out as a transgender in January this year, the fashion designer was known as Swapnil Shinde. The 40-year-old designer announced to the world her decision to turn into a transwoman on social media where she wrote about her new identity as Saisha Shinde. Not only this, but she even shared a few pictures of her new appearance alongside the meaning of her new name.
Saisha wrote, "Here we go 2021 P.s: Saisha means a meaningful life and I plan to make mine an exceptionally meaningful one ."
Her long and meaningful note goes as follows:
Irrespective of your origin, there will always be something that reminds you of your childhood. For me, it takes me back to the kind of loneliness that aches, to pressures that pushed me into solitude and the chaos of confusion that grew every moment. All through school and college, while the boys outside tormented me because I was different, the internal pain was far worse.
I felt suffocated living a reality that I knew wasn’t mine, yet one that I had to stage everyday because of societal expectations and norms. It was only in my early 20s at NIFT where I found the courage to accept my truth; I truly bloomed. I spent the next few years believing that I was attracted to men because I was gay, but it was only 6 years ago that I finally accepted to myself, and today that I accept to you.
I am not a gay man. I am a Transwoman.
Her decision was lauded by many Bollywood celebrities. Saisha is one of the most popular designers in the Bollywood industry and is known for styling various actors like Kiara Advani, Shraddha Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Hina Khan, Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone amongst others.
