The new face of South Asian representation at Vogue

South Asian representation in fashion is no longer confined to the margins of the industry. Across the pages, covers, runways and social feeds of the world’s most influential fashion publications, a new generation of South Asian talent is increasingly impossible to overlook.

A recent Vogue Instagram post brings together six names that capture different facets of that changing landscape: Manish Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna, Simone Ashley, Natasha Poonawalla, Dhruv Kapoor and Jaya Raheja.

Together, they reflect the breadth of South Asian influence in contemporary fashion—from couture and cinema to global celebrity, luxury and emerging creative talent.

What makes the group particularly interesting is that there is no single definition of what South Asian representation looks like anymore.

He first became widely known through his work as a Bollywood costume designer before establishing his eponymous label in 2005.

In 2026, that journey reached another significant milestone when Malhotra made his debut on the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar.

His couture collection drew heavily on Indian craftsmanship, including zardozi, resham, crystal work and hand embroidery, while experimenting with ways to take traditionally Indian techniques into an international luxury context.

Rashmika Mandanna

For Rashmika Mandanna, representation is inseparable from the idea of crossing borders.

Mandanna's presence in fashion reflects the increasing visibility of Indian popular culture internationally, while also demonstrating how celebrity style can become a form of cultural representation. She represents an India that is multilingual, regional and global all at once.

Simone Ashley

Few contemporary actors have become as closely associated with a new generation of South Asian representation in Western popular culture as Simone Ashley.

Her relationship with fashion has expanded that visibility beyond the screen. From Vogue World to international magazine appearances and luxury fashion campaigns, Ashley occupies a space where British, Indian and global identities intersect.

Her significance lies partly in what she makes possible for the women who come after her. As she told Vogue recently, there is still substantial room for progress in representation, even as she sees more women from diverse backgrounds receiving major roles.

A fixture on major fashion and red-carpet circuits, Poonawalla has become known for highly considered, often experimental fashion choices. Vogue India has repeatedly documented her appearances, including her collaborations with Indian designers and her Met Gala looks.

Her fashion choices also demonstrate how South Asian heritage can operate within global luxury without necessarily being presented as costume or nostalgia.

Her 2025 Met Gala ensemble, for example, incorporated vintage Parsi Gara saris into a look created by Manish Malhotra, bringing an element of Parsi textile history into one of fashion's most visible international stages.

Dhruv Kapoor

Dhruv Kapoor represents a younger, more contemporary vocabulary of Indian fashion.

Vogue's recent coverage of the region's fashion landscape has highlighted precisely this shift: younger designers are taking local craft and heritage and placing them into silhouettes and ideas that speak to a global contemporary audience.

This is an important distinction. Representation is not simply about putting a South Asian person in a fashion photograph. It is also about allowing South Asian designers to define their own aesthetic language.

Her inclusion alongside established figures such as Malhotra and Poonawalla, and globally recognised performers such as Ashley and Mandanna, points toward a fashion landscape that is becoming broader and more generational.

That matters because South Asian representation is no longer a story that can be told through a handful of established names. It is increasingly an ecosystem made up of different generations, professions, aesthetics and identities.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about these six names is what they collectively say about the meaning of South Asian representation.

For decades, international fashion's relationship with South Asia was often filtered through a narrow set of visual references: embroidery, bridalwear, saris, jewellery and craftsmanship. Those elements remain enormously important, but they are no longer the whole story.