DESI ACHIEVERS
Vol 1, Issue 16 Oct 1 -15, 2021
MONA BHASIN A fashionista fostering Indian fashion and art
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reelance makeup and hairstyling artist and the founder of MAKEUP AND ME, Mona Bhasin migrated to Australia in 2003 and went on to complete a diploma in makeup and hair artistry from the National Academy of Beauty in 2014. She found her calling not only as a makeup artist but also as the trendsetter of a unique sartorial blend of western and Indian fashion incorporating tradition, elegance and comfort. Now she is all set to be a vital part of the Indian Cultural Expo which is going to be held on 10th October in Calamvale and will showcase exclusive Indian attire, home décor, jewellery, food, entertainment and much more. In an exclusive interview with Indian Abroad, Mona Bhasin gives us a glimpse of her personal and professional life. She also wishes to express her gratitude to Mr Ramana Panda and Vahini Panda for all their ongoing support. Were you always interested in becoming a makeup and hairstyling artist? I moved to Australia in 2003 after getting married, worked at a call centre to learn and understand the Aussie accent and in 2004, while pregnant, I decided to change career from tourism to childcare as I wanted to understand how to raise my children in Australia. So I enrolled for a Diploma in Early Childhood from Swinburne University in Melbourne. I got a job at the daycare where I was doing my placement, and worked as a room leader for 2 years, and then came back as assistant director after having my second baby. After getting diagnosed with a chronic condition, I had to resign from my role at the daycare in Melbourne. My biggest strength and support system has always been my husband and kids. I enrolled for a diploma in makeup and hair artistry from the National Academy of Beauty in 2014 after my second
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The challenges included booking, catching up etc. due to everyone living at different places. Some of them are 100 kilometres away from each other so having zoom meetings etc. organizing photo shoots was challenging.
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lung surgery. Upon completion of my Diploma, my family and I moved to Gold Coast for a fresh start. I started my freelance makeup and hairstyling business, MAKEUP AND ME by MONA. Who inspired you to venture into the apparel business and what unique fashion statement have you adopted? My 16-year-old daughter inspired me to get into the clothing business with my sole purpose being to have a creative blend of style of both Indian and Western cultures, where comfort and traditional fashion are not compromised. This led me to source comfortable and elegant sarees, gowns, kurtis, palazzo pants, and much more, from India and style them with accessories so that our coming generations won’t forget www.indianabroad.news
Indian fashion, and that is when my second baby business BLING N ME by MONA was born. How did you find yourself a part of the Indian Cultural Expo to be held on October 10? We are a group of independent women with exclusive brands who have got together as a team to give you the best shopping experience under one roof. Bridal Corture Ashyo offers the most stunning bridal wear where the beautiful Ash herself models. Then there will be Mantra Australia having the best collections for any occasion. There will be no compromise on quality as tremendous efforts are made in tailor making your wishful outfit. Apart from this, another activity worth waiting for is ARTivity with Ash which will feature our professional artist Ashmeet who is one of the best teachers in this field. Of course, even BLING N ME by MONA will be a part of this event. Besides, Desire Indian Boutique by Ruchi Indian Boutique will showcase collections for those desiring to look beautiful even in daily wear. Event decorations are going to be done by Varsha and Ambika from @the wedding trends. Who came up with the idea about this Indian Cultural Expo and how did it eventually materialise? It was Chitra Ahuja's idea who discussed with me once we met and we contacted all other amazing ladies in business. We are a group of 10 business women holding this exhibition for the first time ever in Queensland. All exclusive brands from Brisbane and Gold Coast have joined together for this first-of-its-kind experience. Businesses and community are being brought together to celebrate and experience festive shopping in Brisbane, Queensland. The Expo is being organised by a group of innovative women entrepreneurs who will be exhibiting and selling elegant Indian attires, sweets and savoury snacks, jewellery, home décor and accessories. It is a FREE ENTRY event and there will be different activities representing our beautiful culture, some surprises and gift hampers to be won. There will be stalls at amazing Calamvale Hotel in Brisbane that recreates the quintessential bazaar experience of India, right here in Australia. It’s a celebration of Indian heritage through traditional clothing, jewellery, home décor, mithai with a luxurious touch, Bollywood music and much more. For people living away from India, we bring them the ultimate street shopping experience right in their neighbourhood with more than 10 stallholders at this time, selling their favourite Indian attires, jewellery, home décor, accessories and so much more. It will be a family friendly market that has FREE ENTRY for everyone to attend and enjoy shopping, music, performances and many more surprises. What is the main motto behind this Expo? I mean, why is it being organized and how do you think it will influence the Indian community? The motto behind this Expo is to bring our Indian Cultural shopping at one doorstep for our community; people can't travel to India for their Karwachauth and Diwali shopping so we all decided to bring that experience under one roof. We have organised a fashion walk by our talented models, we have an amazing singer representing beautiful classical music, lots of kids’ activities and diya lighting ceremony by Councillor Angela Owen and Councillor Kim Marx from Brisbane city council. What challenges did you face in organizing this Expo? There were a few challenges as we all are new into this but together we made it happen. The challenges included booking, catching up etc. due to everyone living at different places. Some of them are 100 kilometres away from each other so having zoom meetings etc. organizing photo shoots was challenging.
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