Gautam Kalra

Fashion Stylist, Freelancer

New Delhi

Text: Border&Fall

Photography: Header: Prabuddha Dasgupta | Remaining: credited accordingly

The Beginning One might say I had no business becoming a fashion stylist. I graduated from the Delhi School of Economics equipped with a Masters in Economics, surrounded by khadi clad intellectuals from Presidency college & St. Stephens. Thankfully, just the it dawned on me that I wanted to work in the creative field.

I joined advertising and worked at Mudra Delhi and Lowe Lintas Bangalore in the client servicing department till 2000. I worked on several prestigious accounts which taught me a lot including Nestle, Hindustan Lever and Britannia.

I was based in Bangalore and surrounded by creative people; designers, chefs, architects, textile designers. I think there was always a creative side in me that I wanted to explore. I used to help my designer friends with their shoots on weekends as a hobby. Also, growing up I was massively in awe of the colours in my mother’s beautiful Kanjeevaram sarees collection. I finally decided to quit the brutal world of advertising as a Brand Services Director to follow my heart and pursue my creative side.

I opened my dream store – a fashion store and fine dining restaurant called Grasshopper with my friends. While I was setting up Grasshopper, I dabbled in some freelance advertising work. Styling was practically a non-existent profession at the time and I ended up styling a small poster campaign for one of my corporate clients, Weekender.

The images were noticed by Prabuddha Dasgupta who I did not know personally, but was in awe of his work. Much against my wishes, he wanted me to style the launch campaign of Allen Solly for women with Indrani Dasgupta and Lakshmi Menon. Prabuddha convinced me that I could do it, and many other shoots thereafter. I have him to thank for believing in me from the beginning.

On Design Education There are too many schools & the quality is diminishing. I feel the entire process of selection based on marks needs to change, it should also be interview and creative ability based. After all, it’s not IIT they are applying for.

People Prabuddha Dasgupta for his integrity, aesthetics, simple yet impactful style, and sensitivity as a human that always came across in his work. Nonita Kalra, Tarun Khiwal, Tarun Vishwa, Steven Klein, Suresh Natrajan, Manish Arora, Sabyasachi among others. John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Issey Miyake, Kabuki and Pat McGrath.

I was so intrigued and in awe of her – she is one of the most impressive women I have ever met. I hid what I brought to style her with, took stuff from her own cupboard and put it together! She had an amazing personality. (on styling Maharani Gayatri Devi)

Moment It was during a shoot in Italy with Prabuddha and Lakshmi Menon for Ganjam – his striking, simple images touched a chord in me. Prabuddha could make a Rs100 scarf I bought from the street look like a million bucks in an image…a simple orchid in the hair could result in a stunning photograph, as would the beautiful body language that Lakshmi brought to the image – he had the power to convert any product into a strong image. The power to know that the clothes and accessories that I use or the way that I decide to use them coupled with factors like my brief on hair/makeup can change the dynamics of the final image made me realise this was my true calling.

Digital References Fashionising.com, Style.com. I don’t really refer to much, when I do I usually google key words that lead me to relevant sites.

Work Freelance Fashion Stylist 2002 – current Fashion Stylist at Lakme Fashion Week 2008 – current Contributing Fashion Stylist, Elle 2006 – 2009