The fashion industry has always had a reputation for being disruptive in terms of aesthetic and style. Fashion shows like the Met Gala and Paris Fashion Week are eagerly looked forward to because we not only want to see how far designers can push the boundaries of their creativity but also are curious about how closely these inventive – sometimes outlandish – looks align with our tastes. Fashion is also a reflection of the society we live in; it’s an aesthetic expression of the music we listen to, the political climate of our time, and the people we are. Stylists who indulge in contemporary Indian fashion take this expression a step further by using individual pieces that are vastly different from each other and, sometimes, from different fashion eras, and putting them together in a seamless, cohesive look. While the crop of stylists on this list may not be as ‘out there’ as those who styled Lady Gaga’s meat dress, they’re all experimenting with their work and blending the contemporary with the classic to create a new breed of Indian styling.
Creative Director at Street Style Spotlight Magazine, Mia Kumari is one of the individuals at the forefront of contemporary, street fashion culture. Her styling is contemporary in that it includes bold prints while still maintaining baggy silhouettes that ooze comfort in high fashion. Her work transcends superficial aesthetic and indulges in narratives and “stories of regular people with interesting lives and incredible personal style with the aim to bring some of the realness back into fashion,” she tells Daniel Franklin for Grazia.
II. Daniel Franklin
Daniel’s accomplishments are impressive– he is Vogue India’s Junior Fashion Editor and a stylist and fashion consultant. Based in New Delhi, Daniel has styled the likes of Diana Penty who was featured in Grazia India. His work is clean and crisp with solid and muted coloured garments that work perfectly with models’ makeup and hair looks. When styling models with bolder or patterned outfits, he ensures that the overall look is balanced, soft, and palatable.
III. Divya Saini
Creative Director at Bodements, Divya Saini is steadily gaining popularity for her nuanced, vintage-inspired style. She pairs solid, bright pieces with funky, patterned garments to create a beautifully harmonious look that’s as aesthetically pleasing as it is experimental. Her brand, Bodements, works with exclusive, handpicked, upcycled vintage garments that have been “curated with love.” Divya’s work usually pairs a statement vintage piece with more modern shirts or trousers, which leaves you craving for more–– so much so that you find yourself scrolling through her Instagram feed for hours on end.
Shweta Sharma, also known as “Betty”, has had an illustrious run as a stylist. Known for her work on Wazir, as a costume designer, she’s also collaborated with Kingfisher, MTV, TLC, and other brands. For Vogue, she styled models in Shakespeare-inspired garments with a modern twist. Her colour palette veers towards solid, bright colours that are paired with patterns and embroidery work that blend seamlessly into the garments they’re on. She also uses one statement accessory that has elements of modernity like metallic shades or geometric shapes to accentuate the overall look and make it stand out.
When you look at Nikhil Dudani’s styled looks, you find yourself in awe at how he makes the most unassuming pieces, colours, and prints look like high fashion. This well-known creative has experience not only in styling, but also in creative direction, and design. Nikhil has experience in casting too and is also a co-founder of Feat. Artists, a modelling agency. He fuses classic fabrics like raw silk with contemporary cuts and layers in the form of ruffles, stripes, and even pleats. Nikhil has the wonderful ability to switch from minimalism to patterns.
Nidhi is an independent stylist in Mumbai who has a magical touch when it comes to mixing and matching prints. After recently working with ELLE as Fashion Editor, Nidhi decided to work as a freelancer. She developed her own sense of style and loves the creative freedom that comes with freelancing. About contemporary fashion, she tells Border and Fall, “I don’t agree that contemporary fashion is less about clothes making and more about image making. It has always been about both the image and the clothes, for me personally.”
Feature image credit: Divya Saini and Street Style Spotlight
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