they seem cool

The Creative Director Who Turned Her Wedding Rings Into Gold Teeth

She also starred in a Rihanna music video.

Photo: Shaniqwa Jarvis
Photo: Shaniqwa Jarvis

You probably recognize Sanam Sindhi from Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” music video. The singer found her on Instagram and made her online famous. But since then, Sindhi has been making moves of her own. She recently left her job as creative director at Jeffrey Campbell and is currently freelancing and working on her passion project: @southasiaarchive. The digital account is “a platform for sharing my research on South Asian culture, with a focus on beauty, adornment, identity, and queerness.” We spoke with her about what she did with her old wedding rings, Bali, and the Spice Girls.

What’s your favorite holiday?
Diwali.

If you could spend three months anywhere, where would it be and why?
I think I could probably spend the rest of my life in Bali, but only if I could do it without being eaten alive by bugs.

What superpower would you have and why?
Time traveling seems messy but fun.

What’s the best album ever made?
Omg, this question is demonic … how could I ever choose?

Go-to karaoke song?
Anything from Destiny’s Child The Writing’s on the Wall is usually my go-to. Or Spice Girls.

Who do you think is cool?
My friends.

What fictional character would you love to hang out with?
Squidward.

If you could be a magazine, what magazine would you be?
Apartamento, I love peeking into people’s homes.

If you could speak to animals, which animals would you want to talk to?
Pigeons … duh.

Jeans or sweats?
Sweats. I don’t think I’ve even owned a pair of jeans since 2015.

What’s something your social-media followers don’t know about you?
I got married at 18 and divorced at 21. I melted my old wedding rings down and had them made into gold teeth.

What was the last website you looked at?
The class schedule for a ceramics studio in Bali where I’m hoping to spend my last few days learning how to throw pottery.

If you could be outfitted by one designer for the rest of your life, who would it be?
Jean Paul Gaultier or Comme Des Garçons.

What do you eat for breakfast?
Four ounces of turmeric, lemon, and ginger tonic.

If you could only eat three things for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Oysters, truffle fries, fruit.

If you were a color, what would it be?
Green.

Photo: Shaniqwa Jarvis

Sanam wears a Tiffany & Co. necklace; an Orseund Iris dress and a Comme des Garcons hat — both available at Net-a-Porter; and Versace boots.

The Creative Who Turned Her Wedding Rings Into Gold Teeth