Combatting Convention

Fashion consultant, creative director and stylist Nikhil Dudani is attempting to string together a fresh definition of beauty in India. He chats with Tina Thakrar about combatting conventions through his model management agency feat. Artists

Creative direction, styling, designing and talent spotting – Nikhil’s Dudani’s skill set complements everything to do with fashion and beauty. However, he prefers beauty of the unconventional kind. The kind he hopes will not be defined as ‘unconventional’ someday – think plus-size, transgender, elderly, and dusky models. The kind he and former model and current work partner Smita Lasrado are promoting through their model and artist management agency, Feat. Artists.

Born and raised in a middle-class family in Mumbai, Nikhil’s creativity, awareness of sustainability, and grasp of fashion is a confluence of experiences, many of which can be traced back to his childhood. Every family member left an imprint on his psyche quite early in life his grandmother fuelled his sense of imagination by regaling him with stories of living in a joint family in Karachi with 100 pet doves; his father taught him to value nature by encouraging him to spend time outdoors; his older sister introduced him to the world of art and painting and the earthiness of working with your bare hands; and his mother laid the stepping stone for him to understand fashion by bringing him clothes from around the world and styling him for many years.