Mariette Valsan is an Indian Actor and Model currently based in Columbia in South America. She has worked for different brands and been on various Indian magazine covers. She is a strong supporter of women’s empowerment and speaks against skin colour inequalities.

Mariette Valsan has worked with many creative brands, companies, and people.

Mariette was born in New Delhi and spent her childhood in the city. Then, she moved to Mumbai to pursue a degree from St. Xavier’s College. Her father was in the Indian Air Force and her mother was in the field of Education. Mariette’s personality was greatly influenced by the Indian Air Force environment as she saw women taking charge of their profession and making decisions for the Government and men helping them run a household and supporting them. Therefore, she imbibed gender equality, confidence, boldness, risk-taking ability, and flexibility from her environment.

Mariette studied Public Relations and started working in a PR company. It was by luck that one of the well-established designers of Mumbai, James Ferreira, spotted her and pushed her to walk in a fashion show as a model. He was the initial mentor and with his support her career bloomed as a model.

Mariette believes that growing up in a family where education was highly valued helped her gain confidence. Moreover, her work built her confidence as a human being along with making her strength to deal with unfamiliar situations, people, cultures, and careers.

Mariette feels that she understood that flexibility is the ultimate characteristic of a successful individual, she switched her career from a PR Professional to a Fashion Model.  Mariette also experienced situations where her skin colour was a barrier to getting a job. Thus, she realised that this mindset is deeply ingrained and problematic and needs to be talked about. She left lots of work opportunities that didn’t serve her sense of self and her principles

Mariette shares that the most struggling aspect of a glamorous fashion career is the nature of its unpredictability. Therefore, she advises all the aspiring candidates to understand the industry and its changes, keep connecting and mingling with people, and understand what brands are looking for. Moreover, she believes that it's just not about the looks in the Modelling career, but about one’s professionalism, nature, conversations, asking the right questions, and having an interesting personality. Mariette feels blessed to be part of a career that helps her travel all around the world and discover beautiful places in India and abroad. By far, she’s lived and worked in London, South Africa, Columbia, and many more cities on her list.

Mariette believes that we all make mistakes. They are not planned but in retrospect, they turn out as mistakes. Mariette has nothing to regret except choosing certain jobs for money or other reasons and facing problematic situations. She realised her mistakes and learned the lesson to always have a manager to talk to the clients on her behalf.

Mariette has many moments in her life that she values and some of them are when her parents saw her on a billboard for a campaign for Raymonds. Her film ‘Hotel Mumbai’ was another achievement for her. Moreover, being on the covers of many Indian magazines has been another accomplishment for her. Furthermore, she actively talks about skin colour and women and takes it as an achievement too.

Mariette believes that a combination of good genetics and knowledge of the market helps an aspiring model to work in the Modelling industry. Moreover, knowledge of self-marketing, flexibility, finding ways to evolve, and being adaptable to change are some other qualities that are required for a Modelling career. Lastly, she believes, that having a plan B is crucial for all the Modelling aspirants.

Mariette’s family has been her role model. They’ve helped her to be confident in exploring unknown terrains and navigating to find the right door. Moreover, the Indian international model, Lakshmi Menon inspires her. A couple of Indian dusky models such as Archana Akhil Kumar and Nidhi Sunil also inspire her.

Mariette says that as an actor, one should absorb stories, enhance oneself through the ability to listen, and always remember that your work speaks for you.

During the pandemic, Mariette had a great time with her family in Goa. She stayed with her parents and experienced lots of re-learning and re-adjusting. She realised the importance of having open communication with her parents and wrote her thoughts in a diary. She focused on having fun and feeling happy by learning Spanish, Indian Classical Music, cooking, and making funny videos. She also read lots of books and binged on Netflix. Mariette also did a twenty-one-day Meditation course as she felt the need for it then. Therefore, Mariette says that she realised the importance of mental health and personal quality time to be happy and chose happiness over anything.