Cool South Asians are everywhere. Diya Joukani’s “cool girl from India” aesthetic has taken over global social media, Bhavitha Mandava was named a Chanel ambassador, and KATSEYE’s Lara Raj needs no introduction.
For too long, South Asian identity has been sidelined or completely invisible, especially in the places where culture is truly made. For many South Asians, cultural expectations have long prioritised stability over creative exploration. The pressure to succeed often left little room for alternative paths to feel inaccessible. But a new generation is done asking for permission. Anchored in Berlin and connected to a global diaspora, SEPIA, the platform founded by Yashvi Sheth and Pia Ahmed, turns its lens on a cast of South Asian creatives who are not simply participating in these worlds but actively reshaping them. By telling their stories, they practice self-love. For SEPIA, “it is the quiet revolution of self-expression, of seeing yourself in spaces that once felt out of reach. It is the power of embracing your identity fully, without compromise.” Self-love, in this context, becomes an act of taking up space – of rejecting the fear of not belonging and embracing the right to exist in any creative realm.
Shot across subcultures, fashion, skate, goth, and underground music, the series resists every urge to tokenise or tidy up the edges. These are real people, from genuinely diverse South Asian backgrounds, living and creating across the global diaspora. At a moment when South Asian aesthetics are being borrowed freely whilst representation still lags, SEPIA’s response is clear: visibility on their terms, in their own image. “Whatever you do, do it with love,” says SEPIA.
SEPIA/ Creative & Art Director: Pia Ahmed, Yashvi Sheth
Producer: Juliane Pielucha
Photographer: Marlen Stahlhuth
Photo Assistant: Ribka Neway // Lydia
Light Operator & Diggi: Axel Heumisch
Set Design: Nina Oswald
Styling: Sophia Friedl
Styling Assistant: Lea Isabell, Ismahan Ahmed
Brands: Alisa Cayoo, Archival Comme des Garçons, Archival Miu Miu, Archival Saint Laurent, Armed Angels, Chanel, Converse, Daily Paper, Dennis Rana, Diesel, Dickies, Dr. Martens, Fabian Hermann Kunert, Falke, Ganni, Gimaguas, IDK New York, Jaded London. Juicy Couture, Kitschy Couture, Majère, Merrfer, Nike, Pigsty, Ports 1961, Sinead Gorey, Swarovski, Vans
MUA: Janette Peters, Mariya
Hair Artist: Masayuki Yuasa, Hiroaki Iwata, Atsushi Imai
Nail: Fenna Lang
Talent: Riya, Jess, Mathu, Jarrod, Priya, Happy, Ziha, Norwin, Dennis