Saisha Shinde is a fashion designer from India. She is recognized as India’s first transgender fashion designer. In 2022, she was a contestant on the Kangana Ranaut-hosted digital reality show Lock, Upp.
Saisha Tulsidas Shinde, formerly known as Swapnil Shinde, was born in 1981 in Hindu Colony, Dadar, Mumbai (age 41 as of 2022).
She attended St. Joseph’s High School in Mumbai’s Wadala neighborhood. She graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in Mumbai in 2003. Saisha completed a six-month fashion internship at the House of Versace in Italy.
Physical Appearance
Height: 6′ 2″
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Brown
Family
She was born into a Maharashtrian family with traditional values.
Parents & Siblings
Her father, Tulsidas Shinde, is the owner of a restaurant business (including Hotel Rishi in Dadar, Mumbai). Her mother is a creative individual. Her older sister passed away from chronic kidney failure.
View this post on Instagram
Career
After completing a fashion internship, she began working as a sales associate at the Kimaya Fashion Store in Mumbai. The same store later elevated her to the visual merchandiser. As a member of the Gen Next class, Saisha made her debut as a fashion designer during the 2006 Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW). She founded her fashion company Swapnil Shinde in 2007.
Her work was praised by fashion experts, and Bollywood celebrities quickly began to recognize her as a fashion designer. She has made garments for several Indian stars, including Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, and Aditi Rao Hydari. Her garments have been featured in numerous prestigious Indian fashion events.
Saisha has served as a costume stylist for a number of Hindi films, including “Fashion” (2008), “Guzaarish” (2010), and “Laxmi” (2020). In 2015, she was a competitor on the fourteenth season of the popular American television program Project Runway.
Saisha designed the gown worn by Indian model Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu (Miss Universe 2021) in the final round of the beauty contest Miss Universe 2021. During an interview, the gown was discussed.
There are specific expectations of Miss India at an international contest, as stated by Saisha. She must appear refined and exquisite, and the gown must be delicate and dainty, but also forceful and imposing, much as my brand has become since my shift into a woman.
The dress is adorned with embroidery, gems, and sequins. Harnaaz believes in sustainability, thus we used leftover embroidered material from the workshop. In addition, because she is from Punjab, we included designs inspired by phulkari in the ensemble. The geometric designs that are synonymous with phulkari patterns have been updated.”
She was a contestant on the online reality show Lock Upp in 2022, which was hosted by Kangana Ranaut and produced by Ekta Kapoor.
Facts/Trivia
Saisha is a pious individual with a strong belief in Lord Ganesha.
She is an animal enthusiast and owns several cats as pets. In 2020, one of her cats, Mimi Shinde, passed away.
She has several tattoos, and one of them is located on the left side of her neck.
Saisha revealed in an interview that she wanted to maintain her name Mastani (after her transgender therapy was complete), but her family detested it, so she chose the name Saisha.
She stated, “Saisha signifies a meaningful life, and I intend to have a very meaningful one.” I had a difficult time choosing it. There were four possibilities, and the one I preferred was the one everyone else disliked. Mastani was responsible. However, Saisha is the name we chose. It does define me a lot.”
During an interview, Saisha disclosed that she experienced anxiety while afflicted with gender dysphoria.
She stated that she was taking medication for panic attacks. The panic episodes spiked as soon as I thought, “I don’t want to do this,” then subsided after I made the decision. This is when I attained serenity. My appearance began to alter because my medicine dosage was already excessive.
People initially frightened me by warning of adverse reactions and side effects, including mood swings, vomiting, and headaches. But I believe it is all a matter of perspective. I possessed none of these. My physique began to shift, my facial features began to change, and my hair began to grow differently.”
She went on to describe how she dealt with the issue.
She stated, “I’ve just been transitioning for a year, and it’s still very fresh, and there are still days when gender dysphoria weighs heavily on me.” Even if I were dressed head-to-toe in women’s clothing and had my hair and makeup done, someone would still call me sir. There is nothing improper about that. He is being really courteous; he simply doesn’t know the correct pronouns and words.
However, those are the days when dysphoria hits me the most, and I combat it with treatment and my wonderful support system (help me do that). Moreover, conversing with other trans women about their experiences makes me realize that I am not alone and that I am able to cope.”
Prior to her transition into a trans woman, she smoked more frequently.
India’s First Transgender Fashion Designer
- She was born with a male physique but had numerous feminine characteristics for which her peers ridiculed her. In an interview, Saisha discussed it.
- My classmates used to make fun of me by yelling “aye, baila” Because I was timid and had feminine characteristics, they bullied me. Those years were the worst of my life. The church on the school grounds became a shelter for me, where I would wait until everyone had left for the day.
- She said, After spending much of my school life feeling like a lesser guy, I decided to adopt a hyper-masculine demeanor and appearance. It was an entirely deliberate action. We are speaking of the early 1990s when homosexuals were reduced to stereotypes.”
- In her twenties, she realized that she was drawn to guys rather than women. She initially recognized herself as gay, but after undergoing a few therapies with the doctors, she realized she was a trans woman. She revealed in an interview that she had gender dysphoria (the distress a person feels due to a mismatch in their gender identification) in her twenties. She elaborated on her life as a lesbian.
- She stated that she came from a wealthy background and was financially secure as a designer. It was more convenient to live in denial, yet I realized something was amiss. That I eventually had to live for myself. My pals were unaware that behind closed doors I was donning cosmetics and heels and dressed up. I felt like a woman disguised as a male with rough boots and stubble, not the other way around.
- Saisha revealed in an interview that she was terrified to inform her parents she was transgender, but when she did, they were surprisingly accepting.
- She stated that she struggled to find the appropriate Marathi words to describe her emotions and future self. My father is a staunch advocate of liberalism. He has always been there for me, from buying me dolls when I was a youngster to supporting my fashion business and being by me when I wanted to undergo gender transition, to the point where he had input on the doctors I would consult. When I initially encountered her dressed as a woman, she did not recognize me. She assisted me in selecting a new name [the designer and her niece share the name Saisha]. We now share hair and cosmetics advice.”
- She opted to have gender reassignment surgery in 2020. Various consultations with the Indian psychiatrists Dr. Neha Shah and Dr. Armaan Pandey commenced the treatment. She subsequently had hormone replacement therapy with endocrinologist Dr. Dheeraj Kapoor at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai, followed by a hair treatment at the Mumbai-based Metamorphosis Clinic. Saisha was required to undergo voice modulation classes since her voice was too masculine. She underwent additional procedures to transform her appearance into that of a woman. During an interview,
- My genetic physiology may never allow me to resemble a ‘delicate’ lady, but I will still be an out and proud woman who will wear cosmetics and heels in public. Mala bhiti nahin ahey.”
READ ALSO
- Who is Son Sukumara Kurup? Things You Must Need to Know!
- Who is Hasbulla? Check Everything About This Celebrity Here!
- Who is Sharvari Wagh? Wiki, Bio, Lifestyle, Family, & Relationship Status!