Acid dousing victim walked the runway at New York Fashion Week

19-year-old Indian woman Reshma Qureshi, who in 2014 was the victim of an attack by several men who splashed sulfuric acid in her face, opened the FTL Moda show at New York Fashion Week. Reshma demonstrated a dress by Indian designer Archana Kochhar. She walked the podium in support of the ban on the sale of corrosive substances that annually maim thousands of children and women. Reshma herself also explains her appearance by the desire to demonstrate solidarity with the victims of such attacks and encourage them.

(8 photos in total)

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Indian model and acid attack victim Reshma Qureshi shows off a dress from the spring-summer collection of Indian designer Archana Kochhar at New York Fashion Week.

Reshma and actress Sunny Leone pose in front of cameras after a fashion show. Reshma emphasized that her appearance on the podium is a message to all those who also fell victim to an acid attack, with a wish for courage.

The unfortunate incident happened two years ago when Reshma was on her way to the examination center. Her sister was with her, who had recently separated from her husband because she was subjected to ill-treatment and torture. Reshma's sister's husband attacked them and doused the girls with acid. They spent several hours on the side of the road, suffering in agony.

"This fashion show is very important to me. There are many victims of such attacks in the world, and I want to give them courage by appearing on the podium. No need to judge a book by its cover. It would be great if people learned to look at each of us without prejudice," said Reshma.

The model walked the runway in an ivory dress decorated with multicolored embroidery and with a sparkling tiara on her head.

This is Reshma's first trip to the USA. The girl said that she was very worried about taking part in the show.

After several skin grafts and thoughts about suicide, Reshma met the founder of the organization Make Love Not Scars ("Create love, not scars"), which supports victims of crimes committed by gender. The meeting led to Reshma becoming the face of the organization's online video campaign, which was seen by more than 1.3 million users. "I can't believe this happened to me," the girl says.

Reshma hopes that her appearance on the podium will make the governments of the world think about tightening the rules for the sale of caustic chemicals.

Makeup artists are preparing a girl for a fashion show.

"The appearance of victims like me on the catwalk of world—class fashion shows is a challenge for criminals who commit an attack," says Reshma. FTL Moda often attracts models with disabilities (including in wheelchairs), on crutches, as well as models with amputated limbs to participate in its shows.

"Even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined that this would happen to me," Reshma commented on her appearance at New York Fashion Week.

According to designer Archana Kochhar, the collection called A Tale of Two Cities is inspired by the breathtaking Taj Mahal and the cheerful colors of magnificent India.