VOGUE INDIA
Vogue India conducted a series of internal and external discussions while remaining mindful that the image is representative of our message of hope, and a few common themes emerged. Hope felt abstract, almost formless. A feeling that was increasingly difficult to hold on to given the mounting crises within India. And yet hope seemed to slip through the fractured world in which we find ourselves. Some looked back to India’s rich heritage of crafts and traditions. Others looked forward to a more conscious and compassionate future for the next generation. The more we explored various narratives, it was the little things that emerged – experiencing blue skies and birdsong, being with family and cherishing the present. We chose one of India’s leading emerging photographers, Mumbai-based Hashim Badani, whose work, representative of our evolving gaze, lies at the intersection of documentary, art and fashion. Mumbai is the city with one of the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country, and so, while still in lockdown, we knew this had to be a made-at-home photograph. Badani imagined a single moment of hope – his nephew armed with a uniquely Indian garment, a turmeric-yellow sari, on the rooftop of their apartment. The sari is by Raw Mango, a designer label that brings together in its creative vision the India that was, is, and will be. Even in the midst of a pandemic we find a moment to remember and reflect on the generation that will inherit the world, with a hope for a better, brighter and more conscious future. Badani says of his vision: “It’s our natural instinct to protect and nurture and hope to leave a better world for those who come next. We owe them this.”