TAHA is inspired by the first-generation Indian Americans navigating the space between tradition and modernity—balancing culture with change, choosing authenticity over expectation, and honoring their roots while remaking the present. TAHA exists on the bodies between; an imagined future for the gender nonconforming people erased and further marginalized by British colonialism through clothing.
Designed for UCLA’s FAST (Fashion and Student Trends) Club, TAHA debuted at the 2025 FAST Runway Show.
livestream link: https://www. youtube.com/live/Uonbuj-66kI
Sound design by me in collaboration with Shivani Desai @sonicwarfare
Models: @nehaaaaa.g @dredgeops @sophsmeqa @thelexapro @coco09.30 @ilayali777 @rheagill9 @tarikaroyy
TAHA
inspiration behind the pieces
Shiva is profoundly connected to gender-nonconforming and non-binary identities in India through his manifestation as Ardhanarishvara—a form that literally merges masculine and feminine into one unified divine being. This figure challenges the fixed binary of “male” and “female” by presenting the sacred as both man and woman, showing that the ultimate spiritual is beyond strict gender categories. In embodying the union of the active and passive, masculine and feminine, Shiva in this form offers a powerful symbol for anybody who lives between, beyond or outside conventional gender norms. I painted Shiva’s tikka onto Tarika’s racing jersey, as well as third eye symbolism on the back.
This look was inspired by a story of Hanuman - in summary he is asked by Rama and Sita (akin to divine masculine & feminine) to prove his devotion to them. To do so, he tears open his heart to reveal Rama and Sita inside. I sought to subvert this into two divinely feminine figures, and Axel my lovely model did a reveal during their walk. (see livestream)
Kali Maa is a divine embodiment of energy and power. She is a reminder that rage can be sacred when it rises to protect what is vulnerable and to defend what has been denied. In her, resistance is not just refusal—it is the burning away of systems that punish those who don’t fit the binary, the script, the norm. My line imagines a future where those once marginalized for their fluidity are not just included, but centered as the blueprint—where identity is expansive, self-made, and held with the same fearless love that Kali offers her children.