'Beyond my wildest dreams'

Indian teen who was left scarred and lost an eye in acid attack redefines beauty on the runway at New York Fashion Week

An Indian model scarred in an acid attack challenged perceptions of beauty as she strutted down the runway at New York Fashion Week to promote a ban on the sale of corrosive substances used to maim thousands of women and children each year.

A smiling Reshma Qureshi, 19, opened the FTL Moda show on Thursday to applause in a longsleeve, white gown with embroidered appliques by Indian designer Archana Kochhar during her first trip to the United States.

In her hair, she wore a sparkly tiara.

The buzz and glamour of the event was a world away from Allahbad, India, where she suffered severe facial burns and lost an eye two years ago after being attacked with sulfuric acid by her estranged brother-in-law and two men at the age of 17.

At the time of the attack, Qureshi was on the way to an exam center on May 19, 2014, with her sister, who had left her husband after being subjected to abuse and torture, when he attacked her and Reshma tried to save her.

They were left to suffer in agony on roadside for several hours after nobody called an ambulance.

'This walk was important to me because there are so many girls like me who are survivors of acid attacks, and this will give them courage,' Qureshi said in an interview, speaking through a translator.

'And it will also go to show people who judge people based on their appearance that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover - you should look at everyone though the same eyes.'

'I never thought in my wildest dreams that something like this would happen to me,' Qureshi said, adding 'that I would be coming to such a big place to walk on such a big stage.'

Qureshi never thought she would be going abroad, much less modeling in New York.

After enduring numerous skin graft surgeries and contemplating suicide, she met the founder of Make Love Not Scars, a group that helps survivors of the gender-based crimes.

Qureshi is the face of the group's online video campaign, which has been viewed by 1.3 million people and led to her appearance in New York.

'I couldn't believe it was happening to me,' Qureshi said about the trip.

'In that moment I felt extremely happy.'

The collection, called A Tale of Two Cities, was 'inspired by the breathtaking Taj Mahal and the rich, buoyant colors of magnificent India,' according to the designer.

The prints evoked not only the Taj Mahal but the lotus flower and royal elephants.

Silhouettes included bell-bottom trousers, cropped tops, capes, and jumpsuits.

To offset the colorful embroidery there was a lot of ivory — evoking the ivory marble of the Taj Mahal.

Also walking in the show was actress Sunny Leone. (C) Daily Mail, London