Newstyle Issue 37

WOMEN’S POWER ANNABELLE N A D A L MODEL OF THE MONTH

SWEETIE RAMLAGUN LAW

M.A.C GLAM MAKEUP LO V E IS LO V E

VANESSA RAMSAMY

NOW FASHION AT BACKSTAGE GLAMOUROUS GIRLS FROM REUNION

WHEN WOMAN POWER TAKES OVER @newstylemauritius | www.newstyle.mu

ISSUE 37 M a r

2 0 2 0

Airbus A33

COMF COMF

Airbus A330

is reaching

is reaching n

with the latest additions to our fleet: the two Airbus A350 and t

with the latest additions to our fleet: the two Airbus A350 and th

30neo / A350

FORT FORT

0neo / A350

new heights

new heights

the two newly landed Airbus A330neo. More comfort is on its way.

he two newly landed Airbus A330neo. More comfort is on its way.

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SWEETIE RAMLAGUN LAW GLAMOUROUS GIRLS VANESSA RAMSAMY GLAM MAKEUP BY MAC MODEL OF THE MONTH- ANNABELLE NADAL NOW FASHION AT BACKSTAGE

ISSUE 37 Local is beautiful When it’s pretty much an official pastime to complain about the weather here in Mauritius, this past year has reinforced just how lucky we are to live where we do. With an on and off rain one day and amazing heat the other, it almost feels smug to share photos of either hot sunny days or cold pouring ones.

But even beginning of 2020 being one of Mauritius’s rainy days on record. I’ll let you in a little secret. At this time of year, it is not vision of sugarplums that dance in my head but rather bigger projects with bigger collaborations.

I am looking forward to bring you, friends towards bigger horizons. This issue features new faces, both locally and internationally and heart-touching human stories.

If you feel like you want to step into our stories, have a look at our amazing magazine and don’t forget to show support by subscribing to our magazine.

Saachin Sagar

Director

Keep shining, Saachin Sagar Director

For any queries regarding the magazine, please do not hesitate to contact us on our Instagram and Facebook page.

Newstyle is uniquely suited to bring the world of international fashion closer to Mauritians. With the promotion of local skills through photography, Newstyle leaves no room for money transactions. Our collaboration with make-up artists, fitness enthusiasts, designers or models gives them the opportunity to highlight their work and help them gain further expertise. Our goal is to be at the vanguard of fashion. Each issue of Newstyle focuses on a new face to highlight them.

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SWEETIE RAMLAGUN LAW “WHEN WOMAN POWER TAKES OVER”

Model : Sweetie Ramlugun-Law Wardrobe : Guess Shop Bagatelle & Be U by Emilie Ducasse Shoes : Aldo & Guess Accessories : Be U - Emilie Ducasse Stylist : Sweety Ramlugun-Law Make up & Hair : Ashish from MAC Photography : Saachin Sagar Location : Guess Shop, Bagatelle

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INTERVIEW WITH SWEETIE RAMLAGUN-LAW Sweetie Ramlagun-Law is far from being a woman to be messed with. She has something called “A warrior’s spine” behind her. In this exclusive interview for Newstyle magazine, we asked her to share her story with us, and we sat down together and talked with her about her journey.

A thrilling story... follow us!

Could you please introduce yourself?

My name is Sweetie Ramlagun Law. Well, I’m somewhere in my 30s and fashion designer.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself and how you started?

All my life, I have wanted to become a fashion designer and I have tried very hard to achieve this. After studying business, I decided to go back to university to do fashion design and textiles.

What sparked your interest in fashion?

Oh, yeah, I’m crazy about clothes, shoes, bags and accessories. Creating dresses for women was my biggest challenge. I wanted women to be the best version of themselves - happy, comfortable and above all beautiful inside and out.

How do you stay motivated?

There were times when I was uncertain about my career in fashion, but over the years I realized that there was nothing I could do better than that. I started by looking for a niche in the market that wasn’t occupied. And it really worked for POSSAL. What made you take fashion more seriously and make a career out of it?

I started by creating a dress - based on architecture. It was on the cover of a magazine and people started contacting me. I started by making custom-made dresses in a very small workshop in Port Louis, which was my grandmother’s house. Business started to grow slowly. Customers were happy, some of them brought their friends and family. It took a lot of sweat and money. I worked irregular hours. Then I moved to a larger, more designed workshop with better machines and equipment.

I started participating in fashion shows, fares, charity shows to raise money. Work was always my passion until the day my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer. I gave up everything to spend quality time with him for his treatment. He was my priority. I tried everything, but unfortunately, I couldn’t save him from it. After 22 months - in April, it will be a year since he left - I decided to go back to work and reinvent myself.

Are you self-taught or did you study fashion design?

Of course, I went to university to study fashion design and textiles and did a lot of internships. I wanted to know the basics.

How do you stay abreast of the latest trends?

One of the characteristics of fashion is that it’s always evolving.

You have to keep up to date by doing a lot of research. I look at fashion every week, I keep buying magazines, social media, international and local fashion shows, WGSN. You have to focus on your target market. Some customers are less concerned about style and fashion but are loyal to your existing brand for comfort and quality.

How has your work evolved since you began your own label?

Ahfat passed away almost a year ago. It’s the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced in my life, I feel so empty without him.

He was the absolute love of my life and there are times when my heart is in such pain that I have no idea how I will survive.

I haven’t had any inspiration in the last 11 months, I haven’t been able to focus on anything. But slowly I’m getting there, I have to get back to work. I’m going to have to bounce back and create my dreams...

Describe a time when you made a mistake in your duties.

How did you rectify it?

I’ve made a lot of mistakes, as we all have, and I firmly believe that every day is a learning process. One thing I remember vividly is when a regular customer wanted a pink dress and I made an orange dress instead, but she loved it and told me it was her favorite dress of all time. I apologized several times and wanted to make the pink dress.

Share about a time you had a very challenging day at work and how did you manage.

The hardest day was when I had a deadline for a well-known boutique hotel. The fabrics we ordered were not delivered on time and we had to work accordingly and tried to work weird to meet the deadline. It was the most hectic day in the office. We were such a good team that everything was well coordinated and we managed to meet the deadline despite the pressure.

How do you handle unsatisfied customers?

I never really had any unsatisfied customers. I strictly believe in the sovereignty of the client and I always make sure that the client is well taken care of and happy.

What is your greatest achievement so far?

My greatest achievement was in 2011 when Mrs. Gucci bought one of my dresses in a boutique in Mauritius.

What is the biggest lesson that you have learned since you started your career?

The biggest lesson - Just because you have a great vision of fashion doesn’t mean that you know about clothing distribution - I have failed many times and I am still learning. I believe that success is failure and I never give up. It’s important to partner with a business professional.

What are your plans for the future?

Well, I’m looking forward to Hennessy’s fashion week. It is indeed a great challenge for me to make a comeback to the world of fashion after almost 2 years.

How do you think Newstyle magazine will help you after this interview?

Newstyle magazine is just great. Sachin Sagar gives the opportunity to all creative and young talents to show their work.

He does a fantastic job. My clients will be very happy to see that I will be back soon with POSSAL, and much stronger. I am grateful to Sachin and his team. I look forward to reading the next issue.

Any message to our readers?

Dear fashion lovers, don’t miss the next issue of Newstyle.

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GLAMOUROU

GIRL

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Models: Miss Reunion 2019-2020 Morgane Lebon, other Ex Miss Reunion winners & Mr Aziz Patel (Delegue Regional du Comite Miss Reunion) Make up: El Mehsen Clothing and accessories : Oui Oui Fashion Photography : Saachin Sagar Location : Backstage, Henessy Park Hotel 18

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LOVE IS LOVE Yann & Vanessa Veerasamy Mrs Mauritius 2019 Model : Yann & Vanessa Veerasamy Wardrobe : Own Hair & Make up: Ashish Rughoobur Photography : Saachin Sagar Location : Le Suffren Hotel & Marina 28

Models : Vanessa Veerasamy Wardrobe : Own Hair & Make up: Ashish Rughoobur Photography : Saachin Sagar Location : Le Suffren Hotel & Marina

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INTERVIEW WITH VANESSA VEERASAMY Mrs Mauritius 2019

Her life story reads like it could be straight out of a Disney fairy-tale. Vanessa Veerasamy travelled far to be crowned Mrs India in 2018. She tells Newstyle magazine about her life full of twists and turns. She has been an inspiration to so many she came across. Below are snippets from the interview.

Vanessa Veerasamy is a beauty entrepreneur. In 2018, she won the Mrs India contest. But her journey to the crown has only just begun. In 2019, Vanessa was crowned Mrs Mauritius 2019, followed by the representation of Mauritius at the Mrs World Pageant contest in Las Vegas in December 2019. At fabulously 37 years old, it is now five years since she got back from France to the beautiful west coast of her native island, Mauritius.

Fashion shows have always made our lady’s heart beat since she was a little girl. Just like so many little girls who decided to follow this path, her inspiration to model comes from her passion for fashion.

It all started with posing for magazines. Vanessa’s first photo shoot was incredible as she describes it. “I wasn’t sure what to expect and was very nervous to be out of my comfort zone,” However, the lady quickly felt extremely comfortable in front of the camera, and yet, here she is still enjoying the whole experience. A typical day for her starts at 5 am where she wakes up playing some good music, get her breakfast - a healthy one of course, followed by some exercises. This routine should last till the evening.

Since we are pointing the Lovers’ day out this month, we tried to know a bit more about the young lady and how she is planning to spend Valentine’s day this year. She confidently states that for her lover and herself, the thrill never wore off. Each and every year is even more intense than the previous one. “Dining Under the Stars, I hope there won’t be any guests, I mean... hurricane (laughs)”.

As personal as this question might sound, we still wanted to know how they happened to meet each other. “We met at a film rental in Paris. I was so happy to meet a Mauritian who had the same culture as me. We both lived abroad,” she recalls. She is categorical about her relationship with her husband. “That was a love at first sight!”. If they spent 18 years together, Vanessa states that it seems like they started dating only yesterday. Proud parents of two daughters Ilyana and Savana, Vanessa tries her best to make the moments of her daily life the best memories.

Biggest fight? Vanessa is a Shopaholic…she won’t say more! She is convinced that being able to trust each other and being there for each other is what can make a relationship successful. “When you are together as a couple, you should believe in each other, encourage each other also, and live friendly,” according to her. She sees a couple life as a best-friends one as well. “We need to be by each other’s side no matter what.”

Her journey is, for her the biggest dream she could realise.

Vanessa strongly believes in what she can do. Representing Mauritius at the Mrs World contest in Las Vegas in November 2019 was an unforgettable experience that she will forever remember. Among those that she strongly cherishes, a fashion show with Mr. Lal Randeep from India on the collaboration with Lotus Entertainment. “I think being the bride’s model for the Intercontinental fashion show was amazingly unique. I felt like Princess Elsa in one of the dresses. This will surely stay with me forever,” recounts Vanessa. But what about her inspiration? She is throwing names at us like never before. She states that she has always been inspired by Naomi Campbell, Cindi Crawford and Priyanka Chopra. A beautiful array of inspirations.

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World’s Most Romantic Destination 2019 42

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GLAM MAKEUP by

m.a.c

Model: Sweetie Ramlugun-Law MUA: Ashish Rughoobur Photography : Saachin Sagar Location : MAC Shop, Bagatelle

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“WORKSHOP”

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local is beautiful

MOdel of the month ANABELLE NADAL Elite Model Portugal

Model : Annabelle Nadal, Elite Agency - Portugal Dress : Amara boutique Mauritius/own wardrobe Makeup: Ashish Rughoobur Photography : Saachin Sagar Styling : Nuance by Sandrina

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INTERVIEW WITH ANABELLE NADAL

“MODEL OF THE MONTH” Lauréate of the Elite model look edition, Anabelle Nadal made her first steps as a model in her native country, Mauritius. She walked the runways of many designers of Lisbon. Encounter...

Anabelle Nadal is 28 years old. She was proudly born and raised in Mauritius, but she currently lives and work in Portugal where she poses for Elite Lisbon. Anabelle’s passion all started when she was a child. Her mother was a dressmaker, and as a young girl, she would design different types of clothes for her mother to create. Fashion was probably the first art form that made her feel that she could express herself and share her views on fashion.

In 2010, at the age of 19, she was the 12th finalist and was elected Miss Elegance in the Miss Mauritius contest.

“Since then I have never really stopped modelling,” she explains.

If modelling can take a huge place in people’s life, Anabelle Nadal relates that modelling has been part of her life for ten years now. She explains that this field allowed her to do so many things, to visit a whole lot of places and mostly, meet a many interesting people. “Modelling allowed me to always be treated with respect that I would say it is probably the most uplifting career I can have. On top of that, it allowed me to move to Europe and immediately start a successful career,” relates Anabelle. We wanted to know more about the young lady’s first and biggest fashion show. She carries on in her little throwback with mentioning that one of the coolest fashion shows was Hans Telvave’s. “He is amazing, and I really admire his work,” Her first-time photo shooting was in the middle of winter, on a rock in light summer outfits. What an original one! “I was almost freezing to death, but I had so much fun that day,” she recalls.

Elite is one of the biggest names in fashion in the world and it opens a lot of doors for a lot of aspiring models.

With this title obtained by Elite Model look, Anabelle thinks that this will definitely bring her more confidence and the awareness that she is in front of the right door. “Let’s see how far that takes me!”. In order to enjoy this title in the coming days, months and years, the young lady aspires in working much harder and better. The idea for her is to grow professionally and maybe do a little more international work. In addition, Anabelle made a super-duper discovery at the commercials side and realized that she really loved playing in adverts. She points out the fact that she will probably be exploring this side as well. She is somehow luck enough to have a supportive family who are more than positive about her choice of career. “They have always pushed me to do what makes me happy. As in many other cases, sometimes with a few sacrifices. It means a lot to me, I can’t thank them enough,” she points out with such a heart-touching smile.

Besides modelling, Anabelle likes painting, photography, arts in general. She is also a tennis-lover and practices yoga and Pilates. Furthermore, travelling is part of her hobbies and we can most of the time find her in places where nature speaks louder. “I’m always a girl from the island,” she mentions.

Some projects for the future? Yes, the young lady has a whole lot! Among them, setting up a photography business in Portugal with her better half and planning to spend more time in Mauritius.

Throughout the magazine, Anabelle aims is looking forward to new opportunities. “ I think Newstyle magazine is a great platform to show new faces and, in my case, allow me to talk a little bit about myself, tell my story and get more people to know a little bit about me, and of course it helps me to reconnect with the Mauritian fashion industry.”

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NOW FASHION AT BACKSTAGE

Hot New Fashion

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Model Alaika Illhaam, Melissa Sendeck Priyadarshini, Ophelie Bancilhon, Stacy Woo, Sumaya Stylist/ concept Nuance by Sandrina assit by callhimdude Makeup by Akshay Goteea Hair by Shilpa Sookrajowa Outfit designer Shania Gamel Choker by Jenisha Ramma Mohabeer Accessories Farz collection Fake lashes by My lash lady

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Hot New Fashion for

NOW FASHION Sandrina Arnassalon is founder and self-taught designer of the Mauritian brand “Nuance by Sandrina”. She started out by creating the platform, where she presented her original finds as brand new collections and soon began to develop her own designs, finally setting out to create her own brand. What sets Sandrina apart from other fashion brands is not only its insouciant appeal, but also the concept of a permanent collection (the essentials) it carries, besides the collections – a sustainable approach and a clear sign of what the company stands for: style comes before fashion. The lady has also recently revealed a lifestyle line, featuring a breath-taking collaboration with Shania Gamel, fashion stylist shedding lights on...JEANS for Backstage lounge’s and photographer Sachin Sagar’s event “Now Fashion”! Yes, Sandrina’s team and collabs think of everything.

It is a great pleasure to have Sandrina as our guest today, who, despite her extremely busy schedule, kindly accepted our interview invitation.

Sexy jeans have been her inspiration for Now Fashion show! Sandrina and her team had about two weeks to figure it all out! The lady got addicted to shania Gamel and sent her a jeans model that she had in mind..She decided to use jeans that every model wouldn’t wear anymore...

It was a recycled fashion idea! The team used different types of fabrics such as lace, tile and so on. Shania did exactly what Sandrina asked her to do! “For the tops, we decided to go to infinity! In fact, it’s a top that can be knotted differently! Having a top like this can make every girl’s life easier!” explains Sandrina.

As the current fashion was before Valentine’s Day, Sandrina and her team wanted to create a style that could be worn by everyone! They basically chose earrings and bling-bling rings to add a glamorous touch to the outfit even though the denim was already very chic! These jeans could also have been worn with golden skin cream!

But for Sandrina, “the Bling touch makes you feel more festive!”. The top was red and white, which is the colour of Valentine’s Day! The glamorous make-up and hairstyle were there to enhance the look and make it more sensual! For this current fashion, Sandrina has picked out different sizes of models to look beautiful for Valentine’s Day. “We don’t necessarily have to know if we’re thin but confidence is the key!”

Shwann Burton was the god of love if not cupid! On this note, Sandrina and the team chose a red kimono with dark blue jeans! “ For the accessories, we used the crystal apple which for me symbolizes the apple of Adam and Eve !

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