Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe on Monday after a 21-year-long wait since Lara Dutta's win in 2000. The 21-year-old pageant winner wore a gown designed by Saisha Shinde, a fashion designer who came out as transgender at the beginning of this year.
Sandhu's magnificent winning gown was made with beaded embellishments and a plunging neckline.?
Shinde took to the popular social media platform, Instagram to express her delight.?"We did it," she wrote in an Instagram post after finding out about Harnaaz's win. She also shared a picture of the new Miss Universe in the gown.?
Saisha Shinde (formerly Swapnil Shinde) came out as a transwoman in January this year.?
"It was only in my early 20s at NIFT where I found the courage to accept my truth; I truly bloomed. I spent the next few years believing that I was attracted to men because I was gay, but it was only 6 years ago that I finally accepted to myself, and today that I accept to you. I'm not a gay man. I am a Transwoman," the designer had written on social media at the time.?
According to a report by News18, Shinde's transition process was helped by the fact that she was designing this gown. She had said,?"There is a certain expectation from Miss India at an International pageant. She has to look elegant, exquisite and the gowns need to look delicate and dainty but at the same time powerful, strong, which incidentally my brand has become now after I have transitioned into a woman."
Via her stories on Instagram, the 40-year-old designer had shared some BTS shots of what went into making the gown for Harnaaz.?
"The gown is embellished with embroidery, stones, and sequins. Harnaaz believes in sustainability, so we used embroidery material which was lying around at the studio," she said.
Harnaaz Sandhu was born and raised in Punjab - she attended Shivalik Public School and Post Graduate Government College for Girls, Chandigarh.?