Anita Chhiba began platforming South Asian talent in 2017 via her platform Diet Paratha and now six years and some 80K+ followers later, she’s the mind behind one of FLANNELS’ key campaigns for the season. Featuring only South Asian models and working with a creative and production team made up of main South Asian talent, it’s a big moment.

To celebrate the campaign launch and to delve deeper into Chhiba’s work, writer Tahmina Begum explores what it means for the culture.

“I’ve never felt like as a culture we haven’t deserved billboards. If anything, it’s the polar opposite. You should be listening, it’s about time, you know?” says Anita Chhiba, one of FLANNELS’ new-gen advisory board, The Creative Council, and the mind behind our ‘Cozy’ autumn campaign featuring only South Asian representation.

Chhiba, who is the founder of Diet Paratha, a platform celebrating South Asian talent, has consulted and collaborated with the likes of Burberry, Gucci, BYREDO and Tate Modern, and is regularly featured in the many international editions of Vogue, 10 magazine, Highsnobiety, Dazed, Nowness, Creative Review, Hypebeast and more.

Inspired by Chhiba’s love for dressing for the season, ‘Cosy’ is a celebration of dressing well but remaining indoors. That being comfortable doesn’t have to lack stylish choices. A homage to the homebody. “The best thing about heading into winter is about being able to dress properly and being able to stay home and layer up without feeling the guilt for not being outside,” explains Chhiba.

The homebody, whose stylish East London home was recently photographed for Vogue India, chose a king-sized bed as the main supporting character. The set replicating each room in the house, be it the bedroom or a lounge, to corners where one tends to get cosy.

As a part of FLANNELS’ Creative Council and as the founder of Diet Paratha, Chhiba knew when brainstorming and creating a moodboard for the campaign, she wanted an entire South Asian leading team. “I want the money to go directly back into the community. So, it’s really important for me to have all kinds of representation across the board, behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera.”

The magic behind creating a campaign is watching the ideas go from one’s mind to something tangible. When asked if the campaign is how Chhiba imagined it to be, the director noted: “I think every project always surprises me because you can concept and moodboard something, but you really don't know what you're gonna get until like you see it in real life, on the day. That’s the fun of it right? But this is one I’m really proud of. You don’t get to see an entire South Asian cast in a luxury space, ever.”

The New Zealand-born of Indian Gujarati descent, grew up in a time where she did not see South Asian models in magazines, never mind in luxury shop windows. The stereotypes for visible South Asians tended to include outdated caricatures of saris and bindis from decades past or large fast fashion factories made up of thousands of underpaid, overworked garment workers. Therefore, seeing South Asians in these spaces, “A story by us, for us,” says Chhiba, is a breakthrough.

South Asians make up the second largest ethnic minority group in the UK and a global majority in the world, with over a billion Indians in India alone. With complex, rich and diverse histories and communities in South Asia alone, cultures that have enjoyed as well as led fashion trends for centuries, Chhiba feels it is overdue for us to be at the forefront.

“I have also noticed that when it comes to casting and working with South Asian talent, brands can become lazy with their choices such as which areas from South Asia, or rather India, they are casting from,” says Chhiba. “When in fact South Asia is so varied and we need to see more representation from the different communities in South Asia.”

Chhiba’s proudest moment from the campaign? “We were lucky enough that this was such a collaborative experience with FLANNELS but also that all the heads of departments, from the photographer to the makeup artist to the styling, were of South Asian descent.”

For Chhiba, who works as a consultant, it’s not about hiring somebody due to a specific background but giving those who have been working behind the scenes their roses.

For the two-day shoot on set, Chhiba’s South Asian team was diverse in its South Asian representation. For example, photographer Tré Koch is Sri Lankan Australian, set designer Furmaan Ahmed is of Pakistani descent, while models Jasmine Asia and Noyon are Bengali and talent Kangkan Rabha is Assamese. The campaign depicts their different features, hair textures and looks that can all derive from the melting pot which is South Asia.

The models were shot in looks from the likes of Palm Angels, Off-White, Marine Serre and Acne Studios, showcasing key pieces from the new season.

For future campaigns, Chhiba would like to work more with models of all abilities and sizes, as the creative director shares that diversity is never one thing but a patchwork of lived experiences. But for now, she, like the rest of us, is going to enjoy the view of the campaign that will be available across all mediums, from the comfort of her cosy bed.

Creative Director: Anita Chibba, Director and DOP: Olly Bharat, Photographer: Tré Koch, Executive Producer: Chantelle-Shakila Tiagi, Senior Production Assistant: Zim Uddin, Gaffer: Sachin Parmar, Set Designer: Furmaan Ahemd, Make-Up Artist: Nisha Ghulati, Talent: Riya Sharma, Noyon, Jasmine Asia, Kangkan Rabha