BoF’s founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed speaks with the BoF 500 cover star about the ups and downs of her personal and professional trajectory and what the West needs to understand about India and its rich, diverse culture.

The Malaysian entrepreneur has many of the traits needed to go big and go global but faces challenges in a modest fashion market that is as complex as it is diverse across the Muslim world.

‘I’m leaving pictures so maybe a girl hates herself a little bit less,’ says the plus-size, mixed-race muse who has pushed designers to produce clothes in bigger sizes and suffered ‘fatphobia’ and ‘tokenisation’ to become a symbol of body positivity.

With India set to become the world’s third-largest fashion market, Bollywood’s most-popular actress has become a global brand ambassador for the likes of Levi’s, Adidas, Louis Vuitton and now, Cartier. In an exclusive interview with Imran Amed, she opens up about her global ambitions — and what the fashion world needs to understand about India.