62-year-old Sikh cabbie is a fashion driver

Spotted on the streets of New York and asked to be come the face of a fashion label maybe the stuff of dreams for many young people, but it panned out just this way for 62-year-old New York Sikh cabbie Ajit Singh Bharth.
After dropping off a passenger in Midtown Manhattan, Bharth was spotted by Quinton Clemm of Edios, a luxury fashion label for men, just a day before their presentation at New York Fashion Week.
Clemm describes how it all fell into place. "I only caught a glimpse of his profile, but as the cab pulled off from the curb and into the traffic, I knew that I had to catch this cab. After jogging two blocks after the vehicle, Bharth caught a traffic light and I hopped into the back of his cab." Clemm quickly made his offer to Bharth to participate in an hour's presentation of models showcasing the season's collection, and the latter he agreed: "I engaged Bharth in conversation, asking him where he was from and how long he had lived in the city , and I even asked if I could click his photo. He very kindly obliged at a traffic light, and as we headed downtown together I told him a little bit about Eidos as well as the collection on which we were currently working.By the time we reached my destination, I had written down some in formation both on the brand and on myself, and asked if he would be free to come in for a fitting that afternoon. That very afternoon the creative director of Eidos, Antonio Ciongoli, met Bharth and put together a look for him to wear."
In the fashion industry , particularly in the West, the turban is not a widely represented look. Clemm explained why he saw Bharth as a good fit for the label: "All of the credit goes to Ciongoli who had gone on a design trip to Rajasthan several months earlier and while working with the washing and dyeing artisans in that part of the country , he was struck by the aesthetic and natural style of everyday people around the towns in which he was traveling. With that in mind, Antonio worked to incorporate not only the textiles, but also the silhouettes and styles of those people into the inspiration for the SpringSummer 2017 Eidos collection."
Clemm said it was very important for Antonio and all of us at Eidos to make sure that the collection was showcased within the cultural context of that inspiration, to highlight both in the clothes and with the models where the inspiration came from. Before meeting Bharth, Eidos had cast 20 people found by our casting director around New York, all of Indian descent, who could be in the show and help transmit this vision.Among all these people, said Clemm, Bharth stood out, because he was an older Indian gentleman, with a face that showed the character and experience of his age and yet still contained the natural charisma and style that Antonio had seen all over Rajasthan. "Everything from his glasses and full white beard, to the off-white spread collar shirt that he was wearing when we met made it clear that Bharth belonged in our presentation."
Bharth was initially reluctant to take up the assignment., "I believe that Bharth was, at first, skeptical of our offer and I can understand why! However, he put me in touch with his son, who acquisced after we exchanged several texts and calls. We are a relatively new menswear line, but I think seeing our website, points of distribution, and our parent company the luxury Italian retailer ISAIA, really helped to reassure Bharth that we were indeed a real and relatively well known menswear brand. Throughout the whole experience, he was incredibly accommodating and polite and it was a real pleasure to get to work with him!"
Impressing with real style
The feedback on Bharth and all-Indian cast was positive, "Publications in the US like Women's Wear Daily, GQ Style, and the Wall Street Journal all had incredibly positive things to say about the collection. Bharth was definitely a pivotal member of that cast and he attracted a lot of cameras and attention at the presentation. "I think members of the media and stores were impressed to see real and stylish, people, like Bharth in our presentation," said Quinton Clemms