Memories of MUMBAI

Held at the Gateway Of India last April, the Dior Fall 23 showcase was a mesmerising tribute to Indian beauty and culture. Having made her international runway debut at the show, Malaysian model Shikin Gomez recalls her magical journey en route to Mumbai as she recreates the romance and splendour of the collection for BAZAAR.

- ABDUL AZIZ DRAIM

It was a cool Thursday evening in Mumbai. The Dior Fall '23 presentation was already under way, its vibrant hues and fairy-tale motifs unfolding against the epic backdrop of the majestic Gateway of India. Prior to the trip, I was told by her agency that Malaysian model Shikin Gomez would be walking the show. So naturally, my eyes were scanning the runway for her statuesque frame as I was recording moments of the show on my phone.

Thing was, right before leaving for the airport in Kuala Lumpur, my regular phone had begun to misbehave so fearing its unpredictability, I made the last-minute decision to use a spare phone instead for the trip. It was a version that I wasn't too familiar with, so throughout the Mumbai showcase I was still figuring out its functions. One time, as a model breezed through my screen, I realised too late that I had turned on the slow-motion feature by mistake.

More focused on the clothes than the models, I couldn't be sure if I had captured Shikin in any of my earlier shots-there were 99 models after all, sauntering from one corner of the runway to the next in rapid succession. It was only much later in the evening, as I was reviewing my files for editing, that I spotted her. Call it luck, or fate, or destiny, but the very model I had accidentally captured in slow motion was Shikin. There she was on the phone screen, walking my way in an embroidered robe and matching trousers, looking regal and confident. Then suddenly, at the precise moment when she turned a corner, the world slowed down, as if awestruck by her beauty and movement. Shikin was in her element. Perhaps it was luck or pure coincidence that I had somehow recorded that moment in such a dramatic manner, but it was definitely destiny that pulled Shikin to Mumbai. Our very own Malaysian model walking the revered runway of Dior.