‘Real’ stars of style

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An increasing number of labels and fashion designers are breaking the conventional norm of roping in Bollywood celebrities or established models for their promotional campaigns. A fresh crop musicians, bloggers, journalists and people from various fields are now lending their style quotient to designers and brands.
Retail brand bhane. featured over 150 exciting people from different walks of life as a part of their street style shoot. “We believe in personal styling and love how people take our wearable basics and bring their individual style that suits their personalities to the forefront. Our spring/summer campaign, shot by fashion blogger and photographer Manou and styled by Tania Fadte, focused on highlighting this idea. We had musicians including the Reggae Rajahs, Hari and Sukhmani and members of Advaita, fashion photographer Anushka Menon, designers, journalists and lawyers among others to showcase our collection,” says Kassia Karr, brand and culture manager, bhane.
The charm of a common man’s dressing style is alluring many to utilise their potential on ramp, feel fashion experts. “While I ascribe to roping in of celebrities and models to represent a brand, the fact that designers are now looking towards ‘real people’ is an indication that it is a successful trend and reflects what the clientele seeks. I think the trend is here to stay since it empowers artists from different fields, be it musicians making pathbreaking music or bloggers who are distinctly making a difference to the fashion scene,” says Shreya Kalra, fashion blogger who runs a blog, For The Love Of Fashion And Other Things.
Marketing strategies for fashion brands need to change from time to time. Fashion designer Pernia Qureshi says, “Marketing is based on dynamic theories. In today’s time and age people want to relate to a particular brand or product before venturing into it and moreover, they want something fresh that lures their attention. Hence, a new league of celebrities is emerging — people who have achieved success in their own right and want to share their fashion stories with the world. We are soon going to shoot our latest campaign with Anushka Manchanda, a renowned singer who is well known for her edgy take on fashion.”
City-based fashion designer Nitin Bal Chauhan has been teaming up frequently with musicians, bloggers and stylists to showcase his bright and funky clothing label, Bhootsavaar. “The fashion sense of a common man is full of oddities and surprises, which works well on the ramp. We choose a particular person because he/she has a certain style quotient and is comfortable in his/her skin. Recently, members of the band Minute of Decay and DJ Augustine Shimray have been featured prominently in our promotional shoots as well,” says Chauhan, who wants to remove the plasticity from fashion.
“I am very experimental but I make sure I am comfortable in whatever I wear. I like my hair messy at times, and unevenly cut or maybe gelled mohawk; I go for loose and funky T-shirts with ripped jeans to add that perfect grunge look. On lazy afternoons I just go for a dapper shirt with boxers and quirky flip-flops. Walking the ramp is like walking on streets, just that your audience changes,” says lead vocalist Featherheads Augustine Shimray, who is one of Chauhan’s muses.