Diya Prabhakar on what she has learnt from modelling since 15

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Wool knit dress and metal bracelet, Bottega Veneta

CARVING AN IDENTITY

By the time she was 12, Diya was already standing tall at 1.78m. A model scout in India spotted her when she was 14. She went on to win The New Paper New Face at 15. Then, at 20, she made her Paris Fashion Week debut.

Today, she’s represented by modelling agencies all over the world, including The Industry in New York and Los Angeles, Elite London, Select Milan, Mademoiselle Paris, and Looque Models in Singapore. She's walked at Paris Fashion Week and worked with brands such as Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, Dolce & Gabbana, Marine Serre, Sephora and M.A.C Cosmetics.

“It just breaks my heart to think about [not being a model]. It’s almost a part of my identity,” Diya says.

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Cotton jacket and cotton shirt, Dior

Rejection is the norm for anyone working in the creative industry. Perhaps because of her years of experience, Diya responds to it with a zen attitude that’s rare for someone so young. But don’t get her wrong. She’d still be, in her own words, “bummed out and sad” for 20 minutes.

“And maybe I’d eat a chocolate,” she adds with a laugh.

“But just because you didn’t get one opportunity doesn’t mean you can’t get the other 19 – there’s always another door to knock on.”

More so than rejection, she's realised that the real pitfall is comparison. When she first modelled, her dad’s friend gave her this advice: “Never compare yourself to others, because that’s what would bring you down.”

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Silk blouse, cotton pants, nylon stockings, and leather heels, Givenchy

(Read also "Modelling Is A Lonely Job Says Bella Hadid")

She didn’t think much of it then, but has since realised how valuable that advice was – especially when she sees her peers booking jobs that she didn’t manage to get.

“It’s not so much about the rejection. You see what other people are doing, and you start putting yourself down about it. I’ve learnt to never compare myself with someone else, because our paths are not the same,” she says.

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Cotton dress and strass necklace, Chanel

REPRESENTATION MATTERS

As a Singapore model and a person of colour, Diya is very much aware of the message that’s being sent with every runway she walks, every campaign she fronts, and every magazine she appears in. She observes that the industry, as a whole, has become a lot more inclusive. For one, she notes that she’s booking more jobs compared to a decade ago, and she sees it happening with other models of colour. And from her own experience, makeup artistes are getting better at matching skin tones, while hairstylists are better at working with different hair textures, including her curly locks. However, how her visibility plays into a bigger conversation about inclusivity and representation is still something that she’s wrapping her head around.

“Now, I finally understand what it means for a girl if they see me on the runway and they’re like, ‘Oh, I can do this, I’m pretty too. I don’t have to have Eurocentric features to be considered beautiful; brown skin is beautiful, curly hair is beautiful, and I don’t have to straighten it anymore’,” she says.

“I feel like I haven’t really truly understood the depth of it and what it means to some people,” she adds, after some consideration. “I’m just me, I’m just Diya, I’m doing my own thing.”

But once in a while, a DM from another model hopeful reminds her to look at the bigger picture.

“Occasionally I’d receive messages from other girls telling me that I’m their inspiration and they want to do what I’m doing, and I’m like, oh wait – not only am I living my own dream, I’m also living another girl’s dream. And I’d feel so grateful.”

(Read also "This 21-Year-Old Dropped Out Of Poly To Walk Runways")

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Silk blend blazer, cotton top, cotton skirt, and metal necklace; Versace

BEING CREATIVE

Some might argue that the creativity in the fashion industry comes from the designers, stylists, photographers and editors – but Diya points out that models play a part too.

“The creative part comes from the way I pose,” she states, adding that it’s usually very collaborative on set, and that people are usually open to suggestions. But ultimately, Diya sees creativity as a way of being.

“It isn’t one-dimensional in the sense that it’s only limited to art,” she explains.

“There are so many aspects to being creative: the way you dress, how you present yourself, and what you do with the space you surround yourself with.”

PHOTOGRAPHY Makiyo Lio
CREATIVE DIRECTION Windy Aulia
STYLING Debby Kwong
HAIR Aung Apichai, using Kevin.Murphy
MAKEUP Nikki Fu, using Urban Decay
FLOWERS Charlotte Puxley

This article was first published in the April 2021 issue of Her World.