She’s among the few Indian models to have made a splash in the West. Meet Smita Lasrado, who has been burning up the ramps in the fashion capital of the world Paris. From Dior to Vivienne Westwood, Smita has worked for some of the biggest designer labels in the West and has also graced the covers of magazines like Marie Claire and Elle several times. Designer Wendell Rodricks recently congratulated Smita on making it to a realm that only a few had managed to reach so far.

For Smita, the long “catwalk” to success began when she was interning at a production house. She’d hoped the experience would come in handy to fulfill her dream of studying film direction. But she found herself thrust before the camera, instead of behind it, when director Navdeep Singh cast her in an advertisement. Agencies began asking for Smita and she decided to take a year off to give modelling a chance — a decision she’s had no cause to regret. “I never imagined it would go so far but I did know even then, that I would try to do something different,” Smita recounts.

Despite being “discovered” so fortuitously, Smita says it wasn’t smooth sailing at first. What kept her going was her good fortune in finding people who believed in her: “Show directors Aparna Bahl and Tania gave me my first show and regularly booked me. Elle magazine gave me my first editorial and have championed me since then. And people like Carol Gracias, Colston Julian, Wendell and Savio Jon constantly encouraged me to go to Europe,” Smita says.

In the competitive industry in Europe, she had to work on building her career. But after she booked a Dior show in Zurich in 2007, things began to look up and how!

“Dior was my first casting in Paris and I had to rush to get a visa done and in a few days, we were in Zurich. I was initially really nervous because working with girls from all over the world and a house as big as this was outside the gamut of my experience. But the team treated me like a baby, so I was well protected,” she recalls fondly.

After Dior, Smita worked with designers like Vivienne Westwood, Karl Lagerfeld (she was part of Chanel’s sumptuous Paris-Bombay show) and the fashion label Saint Laurent — to name just a few. Carolina Herrera, Harrods and Saks Fifth Avenue are among her current clients.

With all of the success she’s enjoyed in the West, it was four years since Smita walked the ramps in India. However, she returned this year for a few shows at the Wills India Fashion Week and at the Couture Week. “There is a sense of family here and I get to hang out with old friends,” she says. “It’s only pluses!”

Smita also says that though she may have set up base in Paris for work, Mumbai where she was born and brought up will always remain her home. “My parents and my sister still live in Mumbai. This city will always have my heart,” she says. However, she does nurse a special fondness for her current city of residence too. Smita loves to spend her time biking around Paris. At other times, she’s content to read, watch films and make beats with her husband in their little studio at home.

Travelling the world and sampling new food is another passion. Smita admits that she still has a few dreams she’d love to fulfil — among them, writing a book (which she’s already working on) and making an electro-pop album with her husband.

And then there is still so much more to accomplish as a model. “I think that I still have a long way to go,” Smita says. “The belief of all the people I mentioned before, and my family and husband gave me courage to stick to this path. I think it has paid off. I’m really fortunate to live the life I live and I strongly believe that the people you surround yourself with contribute a lot to your journey.”

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