Simar Dugal

Some Lesser Known Facts About Simar Dugal

• Simar Dugal was a model-turned-designer, dubbed as ‘India’s first supermodel’.

• Simar Dugal’s mother, Rita Sawhney was a landscape photographer. She got widowed early and brought both her kids up by herself.

  

• During her childhood, Simar lived in Amritsar. She belonged to a conservative family that did not support her desire to pursue a career in modelling. Fashion designer Ritu Kumar shared a long note on Instagram saying,
  

  “I have known the family for a long time, from my childhood in Amritsar where they lived. Initially, they were conservative and wary of her desire to become a model.”

View this post on Instagram

With a heavy heart today we got the news that Simar Dugal is no more. She passed away last night at 2.30 at her mother Rita Sawhneys home , at a very young age of 52 years. I have known the family for a long time,from my childhood in Amritsar where they lived. Initially they were conservative and wary of her desire to become a model. Her first assignment was a rather naive shoot at our show room, when she was in her teens.Subsequently Simar moved on to become one of the most known faces on the indian ramp and was a muse for many design houses. She was special to me, and modelled for my book “The Costumes and Textiles of Royal India”, —in picture, as well as for a dozen or more Tree of Life shows that we did, telling the story of indian crafts. We all travelled all over the world and she was particularly interested in history and content. On the ramp, she brought to the table a grace, attitude and intelligence, as well as beauty which was all her own and rare in the world of fashion. Her body language told a story which conveyed much more than the clothes she wore. She was highly intelligent, a wonderful human being and a friend as we shared a love for textiles. She fought a very difficult battle, for several years now, with cancer, and survived the years she lived ,with a brave face which was exemplary. For me her passing away , seems as if an era of fashion in india has also gone, perhaps not ever to come back again in quite the same way.I have also lost a friend , and a muse. She will be truly missed. My deepest condolences to her family, who have been pillars of strength through her tough journey to the end. – Ritu Kumar

A post shared by Ritu Kumar (@ritukumarhq) on Aug 12, 2020 at 2:54am PDT

• Dugal was a keen golf player. It was during her late teenage days when the famous designer Suneet Varma discovered the astonishing model at the Delhi Golf Club and was left amazed by her beauty.

  

• Simar Dugal got married at a very early age when she was just 19 or 20.

• After Simar and Premjit Dugal got divorced, Premjit Dugal married Rahul dev’s ex-wife late. Rina. Coincidentally, on May 16, 2009, Rina too died due to cancer.

• Simar was one of the few Indian models who broke the stereotypes and walked the ramp after getting married and bearing a child.

  

• Simar Dugal’s first professional picture ever, was shot by designer Suneet Varma. The glorious picture was also featured in his book titled ‘Suneet Varma’ published by Niyogi Publishers.

  

• Dugal went on to become one of the most prominent faces in the Indian fashion industry. Besides Ritu Kumar, she has also worked with Tarun Tahiliani around 1995.

• Later, Dugal also modelled for Kumar’s book ‘The Costumes and Textiles of Royal India’, and ‘Tree of Life designs’.

• Despite being tall, slim framed, and having well-etched features herself, Simar did not believe in the conventional idea of beauty. When asked “What makes a woman beautiful?”, she replied,
  

  Physical appearance is not enough. Beauty is in-depth. It is the whole personality which makes a person stand out. Look at Chandralekha (the dancer) and Shabana Azmi, for instance. They probably don’t fit into the conventional ideas that people have about beauty, but I think they are stunning.’

• Eventually, Dugal quit modelling and began to design and manufacture garments for the Indian market and leatherwear for exports. She started her own label ‘Simar Dugal’. Her stunning pieces were heritage-inspired with a hint of sparkle.

  

• Her designs were worn by several Bollywood celebrities, such as Malaika Arora, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Athiya Shetty, Shilpa Shetty and many more.