Sobia Ameen on tokenism, inclusivity and representing her South Asian identity

The Bangladeshi model and content creator shares her perspective on gaining acceptance in the big bad world of fashion

“After realising that I’m from Bangladesh, the first thing most people ask me is that how am I so evidently in the Indian fashion scene?” says content creator, model, architect and baker Sobia Ameen, whose Instagram is a goldmine to discover new and upcoming South Asian designers. The Dhaka-based creative found her sartorial fame after being cast in designer Masaba Gupta’s campaign in early 2021, and since then she’s collaborated with Katrina Kaif’s Kay Beauty by Katrina Kaif, designer Rahul Mishra and homegrown label Advait. Being unapologetically herself, Ameen has found a fan following of over 38,000 on Instagram, who laud her bold sense of style and her extensive collection of sarees (“The last time I counted, it was about 300,” she says, talking about her saree collection). We caught up with Ameen whilst she was in Dhaka to talk about her journey in the world of fashion.

How did an architect become the poster child for inclusivity in fashion?

Initially when I used to post on Instagram, I used it like a photo album. As an architecture student in Sydney, I used to have all these architectural posts on my feed. When I moved back to Dhaka, I had this urge to wear a saree all the time, to the point where I completely changed my wardrobe to wearing a saree every day to work. I would wake up two hours early just to try and wear a saree; that’s the commitment I had towards it. I also had a phase where I got seriously into baking at a professional level, the pictures of which you can still find on my Instagram. But once Instagram introduced ‘stories,’ it changed everything for me. I got picked up by a lot of local brands in Bangladesh that I used to wear. Later I got reached out by Masaba (Gupta) and that opened doors for me in India. So I feel like Instagram has done a lot for my life at this point.

In your opinion, how is the fashion industry in India different from the community in Bangladesh?

Since both the industries are so different in terms of their size and experience, I felt a lot more included in the Indian fashion industry. I’ve been very lucky in the way I’ve been treated because I’ve also heard of terrible experiences that others have had. But I’ve mostly been on the high-end side of the industry instead of going mainstream when it comes to the brands and labels I work with. In that sense, I’ve been very privileged. Also, as countries, although both are similar in a lot of ways, there are differences when it comes to communities and the way they view individuals. India has been a lot more accepting; I won’t say there haven’t been any bad experiences, but I feel I’ve been at the better end of everything.

What do terms like ‘body positivity’ and ‘inclusivity’ mean to you?

For me, it’s a broad spectrum. It means accepting individuals for who they are, regardless of their race, caste, religion and nationality—including everyone and excluding no one. Having said that, there is a lot of tokenism that happens in the fashion industry. A lot of brands will take a plus-size model for their campaigns, and it doesn’t come across as genuine. I’ve noticed this a lot, especially during fashion weeks and on runways, where designers will include one non-binary individual and one plus-size model. It’s very evident that this form of inclusivity is not as genuine as they show it to be.

You also collaborate with South Asian designers and brands. What does it mean for you to represent a community of South Asian creatives?

I try to be as genuine as I possibly can to myself and to the designer. I try to take a part of them and me and make it as one, and that is what usually reflects whenever I work with a designer. For me, inspiration comes in the form of nostalgia and seeing things that I’ve grown up with. I’ve been lucky that I come from a very multicultural household where my extended family is from different South Asian communities such as those from India and Pakistan. Growing up around so many different cultures, it inherently becomes a part of you. That’s something I’ve always tried representing, because although South Asian creatives are gaining visibility only now, there are still so many stereotypes and biases, especially in the way the West portrays us. I hope that changes with the help of South Asian creatives like me who are trying to bring about that change.

As a content creator, what’s next on the cards for you?

I am trying to rest it out for a bit. I was in India for a month and worked every single day. But I’m very excited for one of the shoots I worked on, though it won’t be out until their collection is released. I’m also working with a designer from Pakistan, who’s become a dear friend now. But I look forward to working with more South Asian creatives because I’m a lot more open than when I had just started out. The journey of my growth has been quite fast, I’ve shared a lot of it online and I’ve been quite honest about it.

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