India’s first Femina Miss India and pioneering fashion journalist Meher Castelino dies at 81

MUMBAI: Meher Castelino, a defining force in Indian fashion who moved effortlessly from the runway to the newsroom, has died at the age of 81. The news was confirmed by the Miss India Organisation through an emotional social media statement, marking the passing of one of the industry’s earliest and most influential trailblazers.

“With profound sorrow, we mourn the passing of Meher Castelino, Femina Miss India 1964 and the very first Femina Miss India. A true trailblazer, she opened doors, set standards and laid the foundation for generations of women to dream fearlessly. A pioneer in the truest sense, her legacy lives on through the journeys she made possible and the dreams she helped shape,” the organisation said.

Born in Mumbai, Castelino entered public life soon after graduating from Lawrence School, Lovedale, when she won the inaugural Femina Miss India crown in 1964. She went on to represent India at the Miss Universe and Miss United Nations contests, carving out international space for Indian women at a time when such platforms were still scarce.

Her modelling career was formidable in scale and ambition. Castelino appeared in more than 2,000 live fashion shows, many conceived and directed by her, and worked across export and domestic fashion houses. She also served as fashion editor at Gentleman’s Fashion Quarterly, Flair and Eve’s Weekly, helping shape taste and trends long before fashion became mainstream conversation.

In 1973, she pivoted decisively to writing, publishing her first article in Eve’s Weekly and committing herself full-time to journalism. Over the decades, her byline appeared in nearly 160 national and international publications, earning her recognition as a pioneer of fashion journalism in India. Her work reframed fashion as culture, craft and serious industry.

Castelino’s career took her across Germany, France, Italy, the USA, South Africa, Turkey, the Netherlands and Singapore, where she attended haute couture shows and interviewed global designers, bringing international perspectives to Indian audiences. From 2006, she served as the official fashion writer for Lakmé Fashion Week, chronicling its rise with insight, depth and authority.

A multi-award winner, she also instituted fashion awards and served as an external examiner at Pearl Academy, shaping future generations of designers and communicators.

In an industry quick to forget its beginnings, Meher Castelino remained impossible to overlook. She arrived first, stayed relevant and left a blueprint behind. Long after the lights fade, her voice will continue to echo through Indian fashion’s most confident strides.