Wheels of heritage: Bangladeshi rickshaw-themed dress turns heads at Miss World 2025

The glamorous world of Bangladesh's fashion and culture has taken international steps into the 72nd Miss World 2025, which is held in Telangana, India. Aklima Atika Konika has been chosen to represent Bangladesh in the Miss World 2025.

She was the 1st runner-up of Miss World Bangladesh 2024 and represented Bangladesh at the Face of Asia 2024 in Korea.

Among the 110 contestants from different countries symbolising their own culture and heritage, her graceful ramp walk with the rickshaw-inspired gown at the opening ceremony has caught everyone's attention and received widespread praise for the dress across the globe.

The gown she wore was designed by Raisha Amin Shaily, a talented young designer. She is the creative fashion designer behind the rickshaw-inspired dress and a fourth-year student currently studying at Shanto-mariam university of creative technology. How did she come up with the rickshaw theme?

"I get inspired by my surroundings. From there, I was attracted by the beautiful artwork of a rickshaw amidst a traffic jam in Dhanmondi. At first, it was tough to get all the original cutouts for the dress, but lastly, the dress came to light," said Raisha Amin Shaily.  

"My mother and my friends really helped me research and make the whole dress," she added.   

The outfit was made to remember the beautiful artworks of rickshaws. The eye-catching red outfit with the rickshaw hood was an ultimate portrayal of the country's traditional transportation mode.

She used real rickshaw cutouts to complement the dress's overall look. Her mother helped her with almost everything, from cutting out the pieces to sewing the garment.

People adored the dress so much that she couldn't believe it, describing her achievement as "beyond expectations", and it was much appreciated by everyone for her unique design.

The designer herself explained how she came up with the idea of adding the hood to the outfit. She said, "I was confused whether to add the hood to the dress. I was thinking about a traditional, Western fusion look for the dress, so I decided to go for it and spend the whole night recreating and making the hood that resembles our country's rickshaw hood."

The achievement of having your dress being worn in one of the biggest international pageant competitions and people of Bangladesh getting to know her and her work is a "different feeling" for Raisha Amin Shaily. 

The designer exclaimed great joy and happiness when she saw her dress on the opening ramp walk, worn by Miss World Bangladesh.

From childhood, she dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. She always created visual images in her mind, using her surroundings as motivation and inspiration for her designs.

She said, "I started making dresses after seeing my mother's footsteps of making dresses for me since my childhood, and I got so inspired by her that I decided to become a fashion designer." In the future, I will be working on establishing myself more through good work and my clothing brand after getting my higher studies from abroad."

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