Nalin feels an affinity with the iconic Keep Walking campaign from Johnnie Walker. "Keep walking and keep doing – that's exactly my attitude," she says. Hopefully, through doing what I do, I can inspire others who might be going on a similar journey or looking for similar life experiences."

And Nalin's incredible journey is inspiring. As a teenager, she was profoundly affected by Lady Gaga, who stormed onto the pop scene in a swirl of eccentric fashion and heartfelt, pro-LGBTQIA+ messages. "She taught me that it's OK to be brave and different – and OK to be yourself," says Nalin, who is transgender. Gaga also showed her that "there's no one way to be a woman", but when Nalin began her fashion studies around a decade ago, the idea of modelling for a living seemed out of reach. "There were no transgender models in Thailand back then," she says. "There were some successful gay and trans people, but they were all comedians or working in TV."

Still, Nalin kept saying yes when friends asked her to pose for their photography projects. "I was like, this is so fun!" she recalls. "But I still had no aspiration to be a model because it felt so impossible at that time."

Nalin supports diverse representation just as fervently through the club nights she puts on with the Cayenne Peppers party collective. These nights began around five years ago and have evolved into a safe space where everyone can be themselves. "I wasn't seeing many transgender DJs so we gave them an opportunity to play at our parties," she says. "You know, it's not necessarily about having an amazing creative production, but about making a night where no one is judging anyone." Nalin says she feels a burst of pride whenever she looks around and sees "everyone looking so comfortable in their skin and their clothes".

As for the future, Nalin’s purpose is to always "keep walking". "I'm someone who always thinks, 'What can I do today?' Even if it's just making one little thing or doing research for a project," she says. "I want to keep working on my design, my photography and my parties. I definitely want to keep going in all these areas because we still have so much that we can change for the better."