Last night saw the most important fashion show of the season take place. Nope, it wasn't Victoria Beckham or Prada or Dior, it was a collaboration between the British Asian Trust and the God My Silent Partner Foundation and featured clothes from smaller designers Lucy Choi London and Raishma Couture. It was called Rise On The Runway.
The show featured two incredible women. Laxmi, 28 and Adele Bellis, 24. Both women are survivors of acid attacks.
Laxmi, hailing from Delhi, was attacked 13 years ago by a man who had stalked her for almost a year. He was hoping to marry Laxmi. She declined. In response he threw acid over her face and arms, scarring her for life and creating ongoing costly medical issues.
Adele, from Suffolk, suffered the loss of an ear and half of her hair when her ex-boyfriend's friend threw acid on her at a bus stop in 2014. Previously, she had been stabbed in the face by another friend.
Both women now campaign to raise awareness about acid attacks. In the UK, in the past ten years, acid attacks have almost doubled. Adele has spoken out about the importance of taking acid attacks seriously on numerous occasions - both outside her attacker's court case where she recommended a life sentence for perpetrators and on shows like This Morning.
Laxmi has set up an organisation in India called Stop Acid Attacks which, three years ago, won a landmark battle when it managed to get India's government to agree to pay for the medical assistance for acid attack victims. Laxmi and her family had to pay nearly £22,000 for hers.
Last night, the two women led the catwalk at the charity event which launched the #giveagirlafuture campaign to raise money for the British Asian Foundation to help give girls and women in South Asia a skill to help them earn money and support themselves and their families. Giving before 7th of December means the UK government will match your donation.
** You might also be interested in:**
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Acid Attack Victim Naomi Oni Accuses Police Of Incompetence**
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.