A few years ago, if you had told me that I would one day sit across from some of the people who built modern Indian fashion and beauty, asking them elaborate questions and telling their stories, I would not have believed you.
This issue, we turn our attention to Samir Modi.
When I first began researching Colorbar and the company’s place within the Indian beauty industry, I realised very quickly that this was not simply the story of a successful entrepreneur. It was the story of a man who helped reshape how India consumes beauty itself. Long before beauty became a cultural conversation, Samir Modi was building a business that challenged the assumption that quality, innovation and aspiration had to come from somewhere else. Our cover story traces that journey, but it also asks larger questions about risk, reinvention, leadership and the future of an industry that continues to evolve at remarkable speed.
The opportunity to report, interview and write this story was one of the most rewarding experiences of my editorial career so far. It is also a reminder of how fortunate I have been to grow under the mentorship of Chaiti Narula, whose belief in rigorous reporting, sharp editorial judgement and intellectual curiosity has shaped not only this publication, but my own understanding of what journalism can be. Under her guidance, I have had the privilege of learning from and reporting on some of the most influential figures in Indian fashion and beauty today. Every conversation, including this one, is a testament to the standards she has instilled in this newsroom and the trust she has placed in me as a journalist.
That same pursuit of depth brought us to Aneeth Arora.
At a moment when fashion often feels trapped in the cycle of trends, algorithms and endless acceleration, speaking with the founder of péro felt like stepping into a completely different way of thinking. Our profile explores what it means to build a fashion business around textile knowledge, craft preservation and long-term relationships with artisans rather than seasonal urgency. It became a conversation about sustainability in its truest sense, not as a marketing term, but as a philosophy of working with textiles. Aneeth's commitment to protecting craft traditions while creating a globally recognised label offers a compelling alternative to the industry's obsession with speed.
This issue also carries two stories that speak to the responsibilities of journalism itself.
One examines the death of Divyanshu Joshi, the 26-year-old model and Kartik Research store manager who drowned during a location scout in Kerala. Reporting this story meant looking beyond the tragedy itself and into the systems surrounding it: the absence of industry-wide safety standards, the question of duty of care, and the realities of freelance labour within fashion. Some stories are uncomfortable because they force an industry to confront itself. This was one of them.
Elsewhere, we turn our attention to the Cockroach Janta Party. What began as an insult evolved into a political and cultural phenomenon significant enough to demand serious examination. Rather than treating it as internet spectacle, we approached it as a story about power, identity, language and the ways communities organise themselves in the digital age.
In these pages, our Deputy Editor Riya Modi investigates one of the most unexpectedly revealing stories of the year. What began with a ₹370 biryani became a larger examination of class, value, aspiration and the cultural anxieties that shape how we consume. It is precisely the kind of story that reminds us that lifestyle journalism is never really about products, trends or price tags. It is about people, and the systems hidden beneath everyday conversations.
On 18th of June, we gather at Olive Bar & Kitchen to launch Issue 4. There could not be a more fitting place to celebrate a publication built on conversation, community and longevity, with The Tastemakers’ Table gathering voices across fashion, media, lifestyle and art. Every issue is the result of countless hours of reporting, editing, debating and refining. Every issue is a belief that readers still want journalism that is thoughtful, nuanced and unafraid to sit with complexity.
That belief is about to be tested in a new way.
In the coming months, French Press Global will move to a subscription-only model. We carry no advertising. We sell no placements. We accept no sponsored editorial. Our independence is not a marketing strategy; it is the foundation upon which this publication exists. Remaining independent requires the support of a community that believes rigorous, thoughtful journalism is worth paying for, and we hope the readers who have championed this publication from the beginning will continue to support our effort to bring life back to lifestyle journalism.
We believe good journalism deserves time. We believe stories deserve depth. Most importantly, we believe readers deserve better than what the algorithm is prepared to give them.
Issue 4 is our latest attempt to prove it.
Sia Sethi
Executive Editor-in-Chief
