#HGCREATORS

Akshay Tambe X LoveAndOtherBugs: Chronicling A Day In The Life Of Fashion Bloggers

Mandovi Menon

Crossover collaborations have a way of producing unexpected results. So when we first put Akshay Tambe, Kayaan Contractor & Shereen Sikka together to construct a fashion story in collaboration with Nike Sportswear, featuring the #NikeDunkSkyHi, that could continue our ‘Day In The Life Series,’ that’s exactly what we got. The 22-year-old photographer’s raw, unbridled ideas found a way to seep into all the spaces between the sharp edges and chic frills of the two best friends/bloggers behind one of Mumbai’s most successful fashion blogs, LoveAndOtherBugs, and the final photo story ensured the addition of craft and complexity to the otherwise familiar.

“Kayaan & Shereen are definitely some of the most chilled out people I’ve shot with or even met for that matter. It hardly took any time getting comfortable around them thanks to their madness. Not to mention having people so amazing looking in front of the camera only makes my job easier,” Tambe admits, when asked to sum up the shoot experience.

We caught up with the fashion-forward duo as well, in the hopes of getting a glimpse into their workings but rather than traverse the traditional route, we opted for a bit of a switchover. Here’s Shereen on Kayaan and vice-versa. Because they happen to know each other just as well as they know themselves.

“We’re very calm with each other, when one is stressed, the other is always around to mend and ease the situation – We’re like Yin and Yang.” - Shereen & Kayaan. 

I. 3 words that describe her best. 

Kayaan: Hungry. Hard-Working. Ladylike. Shereen: Crazy. Lazy. Generous.

II. Your favourite thing about her personal style?

Kayaan: She's a comfort dresser, but keeps it classy and very lady-like. The fact that she can make slouchy clothes look chic is my fave thing about her.

Shereen: The fact that she can pull of almost anything - She could pull off her "Pharrell" look at a black tie event and work it.   III. One thing you’d like to steal from her wardrobe and never give back? 

Kayaan: I don't think the question of steal would arise - Shereen's a sharer, but if I totally HAD to steal something, it would probably be her Indian clothes. She's tasteful when it comes to Indian clothes.

Shereen: There must be a hundred things I’ve taken from her wardrobe and not given back over the years, but I would steal her dogs from her house!

IV. One thing you’d like to hide so she never wears it again?

Kayaan: I don’t think I dislike anything she wears now, but if it was back in the day, I’d really like to burn (not hide) her fishnet clothes!

Shereen: Kayaan is a huge Germany fan when it comes to football. And this world cup she wore their red and black jersey, EVERY TIME they played. On this one day we had a very important meeting when Germany was playing, and she wore it to the client meeting. I don't hate it, but I dislike it because it makes her look like a boy (it's a boy jersey)

V. Someone/something you believe inspires her and why? 

Kayaan: She adores Chiara Ferragni of 'The Blonde Salad' - she truly is an inspiration to Shereen both fashion-wise and the lifestyle she leads, and those mad amounts of hard work.

Shereen: On days when she's feeling lazy, i’d say “less motivated”, all I have to say to her is “Kayaan, don’t you want to win lots of ELLE and Vogue awards and be on the cover of every fashion magazine and have Karl (Lagerfeld) send us his latest collection to wear for our next blog post!?”- That usually does the trick.

VI. A quality in her that inspires you? 

Kayaan: Shereen inspires me to always be on my feet. I adore how hard working she is. We all need a Yin to our Yang!

Shereen: Her carefree attitude, she can just do a stupid dance in a stressful situation and make everyone laugh! She's hilarious.

VII. One thing about her most people don’t know? 

Kayaan:
Shereen:

VIII. And now one for yourselves. How did the #NikeDunkSkyHi fit into your personal styles?

Kayaan:
Shereen:
Kayaan on her collaboration with NIKE Sportswear:
“As a personal style blogger my experience was very clean. The shoe was defininately the hero of all my outfits. And as a person that wears sneakers with just about EVERYTHING, I didn't find it challenging to build by entire wardrobe around it. As a blogger, I am always shooting in different areas of the city, be it in shirts or shorts or dresses, and to work looks around the sneakers wasn't hard. Also, wearing high heels and shoes for the blog posts can get annoying - so this was a breeze - "I'm a cool kid now."
Shereen on her collaboration with NIKE Sportswear:
“After wearing the shoes the first day to Fashion week, it was like everyone wanted to be part of the NikeDunkSkyHi "clique.” The following days we saw people wear their own version of it and it was pretty cool. I wore them on two days, while Kayaan wore them on almost all days. It was the perfect antidote to high heels.”

The Team: 

Image Credit - Akshay Tambe

[Akshay Tambe is a simple man who loves making photographs and spending time with his family and his puppy, Flash. He is fortunate to be able to spend a good amount of time on personal projects, travelling and collaborating with a team of rad people. He makes his bed in Mumbai and is a sucker for assignments where he’s given the opportunity to travel.]

Stylists/Models - Shereen Sikka & Kayaan Contractor, LoveAndOtherBugs

['Love And Other Bugs’ was founded in 2013 purely for the love of all things fashion. Within the year that it has been live, it has generated a magnificent response and with an ongoing race to the top, they have managed to bag some of the finest designers and talent under our belts. They love to experiment with their personal style and push the limit, only to bring to you fresh new takes on how to play dress-up, keeping it wearable and real, at the same time more ‘them’.
They intend to create and curate high fashion and high street brands that they are passionate about on their blog and bring to their viewers desirable yet accessible fashion.]

Hair & Make-Up Artist - Shamita Gogia

[Shamita Gogia is an enterprising hair & make-up artist based out of Mumbai, with significant experience  in bridals, print media, portfolios, ad films, press conferences, and training programs. Her assignments range from events and bridals to shoots for leading print and media outlets and her clientele spans the globe. As someone with a social conscious, she tries he best to use eco-friendly and cruelty-free products for all her work.]

 In Collaboration With: Nike Sportswear

[If you liked this story, be sure to check out 'A Day In The Life Of A Fashion Student' created by Tenzing Dakpa & Rasna Bhasin]

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