Mohit Rai is an established name in the fashion world as well as a well-known celebrity stylist and entrepreneur. He has made a name for himself in the fashion business thanks to his exquisite sense of style, imaginative vision, and commitment to his art.
He used his remarkable sense of style to work with numerous well-known A-list celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Ed Westwick, Amy Jackson, Gauri Khan, Suhana Khan, Kiara Advani, Kajol, Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Siddharth Malhotra, and Varun Dhawan, to name a few. For their red carpet attire, events, award shows, magazine covers, and brand endorsements, he outfitted them. In addition, while Paris Hilton was in India, he styled the widely recognised starlet and fashion icon for her Harper’s Bazaar cover shoot.
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Mohit Rai discusses his career as a stylist and designer, as well as his goals and ideas for the future, in this exclusive interview with News18.com.
Excerpts from the interview:
How did you first get your start in the fashion styling industry? Why did you choose this line of work?
Honestly, I started out pretty much at the beginning of my career. It was at a time when all the luxury publications were being launched in India. There was a Vogue, there was a Bazaar and all of them were so sort of suddenly coming in, and I got my first job as an assistant in Harper Bazaar. I started out as an intern right out of design school and when we do these courses, we feel like we’re all fabulous and we all start immediately. But because obviously it’s a big investment and I think when you’re that young, you don’t have that kind of money. So I didn’t invest into a label, but, I got myself a job at Harper and I did at that point because they were getting exposed to all these publications and magazines. I think we were all sort of getting used to and accustomed to the idea of magazine, luxury and styling. So for me, honestly so young to get out of college and immediately get a job in it was truly like a dream come true.
You’ve collaborated with a large number of celebrities and influencers as a fashion stylist. Could you list a few notable events that made a big difference in your career?
It’s all like one blur right now. Well honestly, my early days got me immediately in touch with some of the best photographers and best makeup artists. I think some of the key moments honestly at that point because they sort of established my eventual identity as a stylist, I think was when I got to attend International Fashion Week. This is one of the best things that can happen to you right because of the exposure that you get at these International Global Fashion Weeks. Even at India Fashion Week like just the exposure for such a young person at that age it’s really it’s really exciting. You know you get to interact with the designers and I’m a core fashion person like my education is straight up in design and fashion. So for me to meet some of my idols face to face I think that was a key moment in my career. I think initially, very initially in my career, I remember one time I was, I went to a Fashion Week and I was sitting right behind Anna Wintour and and that literally it made me feel like, okay, I’ve done something right to be. I don’t think everyone gets that sort of opportunity. So I was like wow this is really something in my life that’s happened to me.
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Fashion trends are always changing. How do you keep current and make sure your fashion choices are fresh and stylish?
I was always very very design driven. For me things like fabrics, fits and falls have always been very important. We always ensure that the fabric that somebody is wearing flatters them. So I’m very design oriented even as a stylist. So obviously it’s always been my dream to have a label, which fortunately like I said I think when you’re younger it takes a lot of investment. You have a very fair perspective on what’s good and what’s not and what catches the pulse of a generation, how to style campaigns and so here’s so much that I’ve learned along the way of my journey that really helped manifest all of it together. When now I’m finally designing, I’m shooting my own campaigns, I’m packaging my own brand, marketing, dealing with consumers directly.
About the design philosophy and aesthetics honestly I’ve always loved old world glamour. I’ve always loved Indian wear; Indian couture really gets me going in life in a very excited manner. I’m obsessed with the finery of Indian textile and craft. In India what I love is that you know even in the most middle class houses which I come from, we get everything made. Everything is tailored to us. Like even our blouses that our mothers wear, everything is tailored and custom made for them. So I love that in India we can get so much custom made. And jewelry is such a normal part of our culture. Every woman has some jewelry. So, I love that whole aesthetic. And obviously because I’ve been working with Bollywood, there is a sense of contemporary glamour that I also sort of get immediately attracted to, which is why you see both the philosophies in our brand. It’s a very traditional, very antique look. And then you also see the contemporary glamour which I’ve just been surrounded by for a very long time now.
IRTH has been doing absolutely great and I wanted to know from you, what is one piece of advise or any kind of good word that you have heard for your label in it’s glorious 11 year.
I am absolutely obsessed with Sonam Kapoor. I think she is the OG fashion girl. Like no one can ever be like a Sonam Kapoor. Her understanding of fashion is very knowledgeable so it shows up and that’s why she looks like what she does. I remember distinctly that when she wore Rhea’s outfit. Actually we had sent for Rhea and Rhea was supposed to wear it. I think Sonam saw it and she picked it up and said she want to wear it. And then I remember, they quickly got it altered to her size and everything. Everything just completely changed and then she was wearing it to like an international event which I guess was a Bulgari event. Honestly for us, as a young brand that was very encouraging. Because it’s not something that even she had chose for herself. But because she liked the outfit so much, she just picked it up from her sister and she wore it. She doesn’t go around endorsing every brand. She is very picky and has a great taste level. She doesn’t endorse anyone and everyone but only the people that she feels have something. So, for us that was very encouraging as a brand and that’s something that I will never forget.
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Fashion trends are always changing. How do you keep current and make sure your fashion choices are fresh and stylish?
My brand philosophy, my honesty, my experience and my partner, we have a strong understanding of classic fashion. We both have a strong deep love for classic fashion that we can look. Suppose if somebody like an Audrey Hepburn was alive today she would wear. You know in terms of its classiness. If you look back at Audrey Hepburn’s style from the fifties and the sixties, we still think it’s relevant, it’s a benchmark of style, it’s a relevant image, it’s never out of fashion. It never feels outdated and incorrect. So we really feel that. That’s what we want to do in the long run. We only want to create classics -something that you can look back and be like, Oh! I looked amazing ten years ago when I wore this outfit That’s honestly the one thing that drives us. Obviously, to keep current you have to sort of adapt to what the consumers are looking at today because the consumer is very intelligent and they’re very exposed because of social media, now everyone has access to every look-book. Every brand under the sun is on Instagram. They’re all catering to the same audience, the same level of people and the same consumer. So it’s very important I think for us to stay updated and to stay updated to a point where we know what the consumer wants.
Fashion is frequently faulted for maintaining unattainable beauty standards. In your style work, how do you tackle diversity and body positivity?
So I’ve always been a into body positivity. I’ve always worked with different body types, even before it was like a trending thing to do. I feel that a lot of people have sort of climbed on this bandwagon because it’s a trending topic. But like for me, it’s always an inherent and it’s not something that I’ve ever even thought about. I’m surrounded by women who are have real bodies, be it my sister, my mother, all my friends, they’re very realistic body types. They’re very Indian body types.
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I’ve been working with Sonakshi Sinha and Sonakshi is not a size-zero girl. I work with her since, since the past five, six years. I was working with Kareena right after she had Taimur and she wasn’t a size-zero then. I worked with Bhumi, Vidy Balan, Kaajol, Gauri Khan and then, I also get to work with Disha Patani. Fashion is a projection of your personality. If you feel confident, you’ll be confident and you’ll act like, you’ll just be that person.
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