RI. Ritu kumar

| Via @ritu.ritukumar Sushmita Sen’s Miss Universe PhotoshootIn 1993, I struck a deal with the@missindiaorg team to design clothes for the contestants.In 1994, @sushmitasen47 won the Miss India title and went on to win the Miss Universe title in the US. This was a historic moment and one that I was delighted to be part of. As part of my deal with Miss India to create clothes for the contestants, I was tasked with creating her wardrobe as she toured the US and I started sending her suits made out of bandhani and zardozi, kurta-paijamas and saris that were all received really well.When she landed in Delhi after the tour I got a frantic call to come to the Taj Palace. On reaching I learned that the team had scheduled a shoot outside the Taj Mahal the next day but the clothes they got sent were shorts and t-shirts - too skimpy to be worn outside a mausoleum! So, at night we opened up the store and located a pink sari and quickly altered a blouse. We also got hold of some other key pieces and within hours we were ready for the shoot. The shoot turned out to be hectic and poor Sushmita even fainted at one point but the images were worth our toils. To date, I think of her in that pink sari wearing a crown and the UP Police personnel around us clapping with pride! These images were splashed all over the country’s leading publications with credits to us and, more importantly, to the weavers. #RKArchives #missindia #sushmitasen #rkarchives