Meet Yamini Ulaganathan | Model

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yamini Ulaganathan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yamini, looking back, what do you think was the most difficult decision you’ve had to make?
To not give up on my dream. I moved to the US in September ’21 to start my graduate study in Computer Science at Northwestern and of course, model. I’ve been modeling since 2016 in India, and really wanted to start in the US right away, especially because COVID set my plans back a couple of years. Everything was going according to plan, and I absolutely loved my new life here. I was set to graduate early, in December ’22, and start working and modeling full-time. But all of a sudden, in June 2022, I lost my father to a heart attack. My mother, sister and I struggled to process this and it felt like my whole world fell apart. I became extremely depressed, lost my appetite, and lost over 30 pounds in less than 2 months. My skin was hanging off my bones and I struggled to get out of bed. I became severely depressed, and these feelings were very foreign to me because I was always pretty level-headed and never really got too sad about anything. I decided to take a break from college and go back home to be with my family. Our financial situation worsened, and I felt a loss of purpose. I didn’t think my dreams were worth anything anymore because to me, I stayed away from my dad during the last year of his life pursuing these dreams, and that fostered a lot of guilt and regret for me. My mother, on the other hand, was extremely clear that giving up is not an option and did everything she could to support me.
My decision to leave my family and come back to the US in January was extremely difficult. It took a lot of introspection, unlearning, and relearning to find gratitude in the opportunities that I’d been given and the value I can bring to the fashion industry as well as tech. I’ve worked hard toward my dream of being a model for so much of my life, and I’m not done yet. It is such a big part of who I am, and this difficult decision of coming back and doing what I love made me find my way back to myself. Today, it’s this decision and realizing the importance of it that motivates me to do my best every single day in my field and work so hard, knowing very well how much this is worth to me, and how much value I can bring to it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a model by profession with a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Northwestern University. These seemingly disconnected things are the 2 halves of my career, and I love them both equally. Modeling is something that comes naturally to me and I can’t see myself not being in this profession. I’ve been blessed with a certain height and structure and I leveraged that to the best of my abilities, and it worked out well for me. I wanted to be a fashion designer when I was a child but kept changing my mind about my ‘set sense of style’. Modeling allowed me to be around such a wide range of clothes that I didn’t need to conform to one style and I could embrace so many wonderfully creative styles and work with some of the most talented people I’ve ever met in my life. Every designer, every photographer, and every show director has such different sensibilities and it’s always so thrilling and humbling to be a part of their vision. I did pretty well in school academically and athletically. I developed a fondness for computer science because it pushed my boundaries of thinking and problem-solving. With time, I knew I wanted to continue my study in CS because technology runs the world today, and to solve real-world problems, understanding technology is essential.
While this sets me apart as someone who can do both, it was also difficult for me to manage at times. Unfortunately, the technology industry lacked, and still lacks, diversity in all areas and it was especially hard to break this barrier as a model. As a woman of color, the starting line was already behind, and the perception that it was impossible for someone in fashion to be not just capable, but really good at tech, set that line further back. The modeling industry is also still in the process of having more diverse representation, and there have definitely been times when my involvement in tech was perceived as a lack of interest in fashion when compared to others whose interests were more on the art side. But that’s the thing, creative industries are so intertwined with technology, especially in the age of AI. It doesn’t have to be you’re either into arts or music or fashion, or you’re into science and math.
I’m learning to use this as my strength and possibly find bigger intersections between the two. There’s a lot of opportunity for technology to help solve some of the biggest issues in creative industries like fashion, from sustainability and manufacturing to size inclusivity and diversity, and we’re already seeing the fashion industry open up avenues for these ventures.
I could never choose between modeling and computer science, but I’ve learned to embrace this dichotomy and I’m extremely privileged and lucky to have both in my life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the ocean, so you can find me at the beach every evening! Sunsets on the beach are what make my soul happy. I would never go in the afternoon though because harsh sunlight is my worst enemy. So we’d probably start our day at a small breakfast place in the neighborhood, the kind that closes at 2 pm. I love riding my motorbike so that’ll definitely be our mode of commute. I’m big on fresh food, so any cuisine is amazing as long as it’s made with fresh produce. Post lunch would be a walk down street markets to go shopping for local products, especially clothes and accessories! My ideal way to spend a weekend would be to go to a concert or someplace with live music, drink a few whiskey cranberries, and dance all night with old friends and new ones. I love the little after-parties that happen at people’s houses or mine, it’s always the most fun part of the night to wind down while really getting quality time with people. Houses with a pet automatically become the best venues. I love socializing and meeting new people as much as I love mellow, quality time with old friends and loved ones, and I try my best to do both as much as I can!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents have been my biggest support system throughout my journey and I don’t care how common that answer is. When I just started modeling, my mum would go above and beyond to support me, even in ways that were not entirely easy for her to understand. I started modeling in 2016 after winning a nationwide model hunt in India. During the course of this model hunt, they pick around 50 models that they train for a month and pick a winner that gets to sign a contract with the agency at the end of it. During my training, I met with a road accident and hurt my knee. I was so afraid that if they saw a scar, I would not have a shot at winning because I, like most others, had the misconception that models were flawless and born with airbrushed skin. My mum saw how much I panicked and decided to help me in any way that I convinced her made sense. We went to a doctor who placed a layer of transparent collagen over my wound so that I could cover it with makeup, because I couldn’t cover a raw wound. She then took me to buy a very specific kind of concealer meant for this, which they sold in a small store on the other end of the city. She quickly took me on her scooter in the scorching heat so that I could make it back in time for training, ready to pretend like nothing ever happened. She didn’t understand why the wound was such a big deal (rightly so), but she understood that I was in so much distress and went out of her way to make me feel like I had her support. This is only one example of the innumerable times she’s been there for me and gone out of her way to do everything she can to comfort me.
My dad was ecstatic when I got picked and over the moon when I won. He took the victory so personally, it was adorable. He came to every single runway show of mine, canceling important work meetings and tv appearances just to be at my shows. He was always in the front row so he could get the best pictures and videos of me. He never shied away from sending my achievements to his friends and always had the biggest, proudest smile when he introduced me to them. He was kind and loving to the people I loved and treated them like they were his own. He always treated my victories, defeats, happiness, pain, and dreams like they were his own.
My parents always supported and loved me unconditionally through the most difficult phases of my life, and I’m grateful to them beyond measure.
I also want to use this platform to give a shout-out to the local artisans of India. During my time modeling in India, I was blessed to wear so many beautiful garments with fabric made by local artisans in villages and small towns all over India. These artisans are extremely talented and intelligent. They work long hours without breaks, with equipment that needs to be improved. Many artisans do intricate handwork and while this creates breathtaking fabrics, it weakens their eyesight over time. Designers and brands all over the world, including luxury designers in India, use fabric made by these Indian artisans but the amount of money they make from their work is paltry. They live in poverty, and this puts us at risk of the art itself dying out. This is a cause that’s very close to my heart and I’ve done several charity shows to spread awareness about this. I hope to improve their lives and working conditions with advanced equipment and build a direct bridge between them and consumers so that they have the freedom to appraise their work and make the money they deserve from it.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yamini_u/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uyamini/

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Image Credits
Alex Callejo David Bourne Pran Udiyana Anish Pinto Ian Nelson