Trinidadian, Zhara-Leigh Dasent, is helping to create diversity within the fashion industry. Embracing her natural curves, Dasent, backed by her confidence, is challenging the notion that a model has to be skinny; 5′ 8″ and 160 pounds. She represents her ‘model’ of beauty and sensuality in a unique way which has captured industry moguls and demanded her inclusion in campaigns of popular Trinidad & Tobago fashion brands such as Sandi’s Angels, 17Chlollection, and Wonderful World.
It’s difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced it, how awe-inspiring Dasent’s presence is. She can command a room with her effervescent personality which makes her a treat to work with professionally and be around socially. And, that is why my conversation with her was effortless and genuine.
Dasent wasted no time in sharing with us aspects of her journey in becoming comfortable in her skin. “When I was younger, I always felt I had to cover up! I felt that if I covered up enough, it would make me look skinnier. Makes no sense thinking back about it, but that’s how I felt at the time. I always felt I needed to look smaller because growing up there wasn’t as much inclusivity as now,” she revealed. Dasent praises Ashley Graham as one of the groundbreaking models in the international modeling industry that helped give her confidence to do what she does in Trinidad & Tobago. She further explained, “back then there weren’t beautiful models like Ashley Graham. I was literally seeing the same size model on TV. I just felt like I needed to be smaller. There were times that I would not eat dinner because I just felt like I was not the size I was supposed to be.”
She encourages young girls to love themselves just the way they are. “As long as you are healthy and comfortable in your body nothing else matters. You don’t need to cover up because your uncle says so or anybody else. If you want to wear shorts…wear shorts.! If you want to wear a bikini…wear a bikini. I wish I had someone to tell me these things growing up to make me feel better about myself when I was that age because I only recently came into my own,” Dasent explains. “I just want girls who look just like me or even if they don’t look exactly like me.. but they’re ‘bigger boned’…you are just as beautiful as the girl who is proportioned how society thinks is perfect! You are your own version of perfect! Block out all that noise about what society thinks you should like and just look like what you wanna look like.”
Many women speak the language of ‘female empowerment’ but unfortunately their actions, deeds, and hyper-competitiveness end up being more divisive than uplifting. Dasent credits women in the fashion industry for contributing to her development and overall growth. Once such powerhouse is the 17Chlollection boss, Chloé Joseph. 17Chlollection was one of the first brands in Trinidad & Tobago to acknowledge Dasent’s type of beauty and give her an opportunity, and she reminisces fondly of the origins of her relationship with the rebellious designer stating, “we met because she became a client of mine and I thought something completely different of her, but she is so honest. We literally got closer and closer and closer…and I told her I would have never thought it would be me and her in this thing together. I’m glad it is though because Chloé Joseph is one of the most grounded people I know.”
Another woman who Dasent attributes a lot of praise to is Trinidad & Tobago’s design matriarch, Sandra Hordatt. Dasent extolls Sandra Hordatt saying, “honestly I wish every designer in Trinidad was like her because she really cares. She doesn’t just put something out there and say this is for a plus-sized girl. She sat with me and asked me nuanced questions and she listened to my insight. She has become like a Mom to me! She is everything….her work ethics are amazing. She works hard day and night. This is not a bash to anyone but I really wish more designers took a page out of Sandra Hordatt’s book and be more inclusive in their design process because Trinidad is so diverse.” Dasent is a part of an elite, girl-clique that represents Hordatt’s new sleepwear brand Sandi’s Angels. Dasent shots from the Sandi’s Angels campaign have received a huge outpouring of love on social media and her representation of diversity has contributed greatly to the sleepwear brands growing popularity.
