Meet Reshma Quereshi, the Indian acid-attack survivor who walked the ramp at New York Fashion Week

(Reshma gets ready before her walk. Image credit: REUTERS)

Nineteen-year-old Reshma Quereshi strutted down the runway at New York Fashion Week on Thursday to massive applause. Her story would’ve been similar to the numerous other models walking the runway had that one incident not happened to her.

Two years ago, Quereshi suffered severe facial burns and lost an eye two years ago after being attacked with sulfuric acid by her estranged brother-in-law and two men in Allahabad.

After enduring numerous skin graft surgeries and contemplating suicide, she met the founder of Make Love Not Scars, a group that helps survivors of the gender-based crimes. Being the face of the group’s online video campaign, which has been viewed by 1.3 million people led to the acid-attack survivor's appearance in New York.

(Reshma walks the ramp. Image credit: REUTERS)

Challenging the perceptions of beauty, she opened the FTL Moda show at the to promote a ban on the sale of corrosive substances used to maim thousands of women and children each year. Quereshi looked beautiful in a long-sleeve, white gown with embroidered appliques by Indian designer Archana Kochhar.

“I couldn’t believe it was happening to me,” Quereshi told Reuters about her first trip to the United States. “In that moment I felt extremely happy,” she further added.

Never in her wildest dreams did Quereshi think she would be going abroad, much less modelling in New York.

(Reshma looked beautiful in her white long-sleeved gown. Image credit: AFP)

She said she hopes her turn on the catwalk will inspire hope and confidence in other acid attack survivors and spur countries to regulate the sale of cheap and easily available acids.

“No one else understands what an acid attack is except the survivors themselves,” she said. “I do not want this to happen to anyone else.”

Increasing diversity on the catwalk has been an aim of FTL Moda. The production company has featured models with disabilities, in wheelchairs, on crutches and amputees. Australian model Madeline Stuart, who has Down Syndrome, made her runway debut at the FTL Moda show last year.