As a person I think that it is very important to dress properly and in a decent way. Your outfit speaks for you and it defines your personality. I always try to dress properly and in a decent manner.
RK : First of all, thanks a lot for accepting our invitation for an interview. Please say something about you. About your career as a fashion influencer & model. How did you get started?
Shivam : First of all, I would really like to thank you for selecting me for an interview with your magazine. I am really happy to have got this opportunity. My name is Shivam Gupta and I am studying in National institute of fashion technology (NIFT). I am pursuing my career in Leather Designing and have completed my second year. I always had a keen interest in fashion and wanted to be a great designer. Along with my studies, I am also doing fashion blogging on Instagram and have my blog ‘The Indian Messieurs’ on which I post about different fashion trends and style.
RK : What is that specific moment in your life which lit the spark in you to become a model?
Shivam : I started modelling in my college and had some photo shoots. As my college is NIFT and we have all this as a part of our college activities, it really helped me to explore it more and that was the moment when I started modelling.
RK : What did you wanted to become when you were little?
Shivam : As a child I always had interest in making different kinds of things, painting, drawing etc. My father is a fashion designer and I have also looked up to him. Since the early age I have seen him working in his studio and making amazing design and dresses which led a spark in me for fashion. I studied about different trends and saw different fashion shows and tried to understand everything about it and as growing up I took humanities with fine arts as my stream. Later joined NIFT as my college.
RK : When did you start blogging/ social media, and what was your motivation for getting started?
Shivam : I started Fashion blogging in June last year on Instagram and came up with the name The Indian Messieurs as I always believe in the gentlemen’s ways of conduct and living. A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out and is a man who is master of patience and understanding. In college, my friends encouraged me to start a blog about new fashion trends and styling tips. They always complimented me on my style and said I would do really great in fashion blogging. This was my motivation to start an online blog on Instagram.
RK : How would you describe your personal style and is there a person in fashion who inspires you?
Shivam : As a person I think that it is very important to dress properly and in a decent way. Your outfit speaks for you and it defines your personality. I always try to dress properly and in a decent manner.
Some of the International bloggers and personalities that inspire me are Marcel Floruss and Alex Costa who have their own YouTube channel and blog.
RK : What do you enjoy most in modelling?
Shivam : I really enjoy the photo shoots that I do for different brands and it helps me to explore more and try different things. During a photoshoot you have to be really be creative and look for different perspectives in a shot. Every shoot in like a new experience and I try to do something different in every shoot.
RK : What’s the biggest misconception about the male modelling industry?
Shivam : I think few of the biggest misconception about male modelling are that you should have a perfect face. When you see a model on TV or Instagram, you tend to notice their perfect eyebrows, high cheekbones, full eyes and lips, a perfect nose, basically all the features of a Greek God. Then you turn to look at yourself in the mirror, and find all your little ‘flaws’ magnified. Everyone is under the impression that to be a professional model, you have to have perfect features, or else you have no place in the fashion industry. In reality, that’s not at all true. There is nothing such as a perfect face and a person should always find beauty within themselves. A person should love himself for what he is and try to do the best he can.
RK : What do you do to stay in shape?
Shivam : I have a strict diet routine which consist of vegetarian food and I avoid fast food and soft drinks. I also go to the gym regularly and exercise daily. It is very important to exercise daily as it keeps you active and fit.
RK : Which fashion designers and fashion bloggers do you admire?
Shivam : I really admire Manish Malhotra and Rohit Bal as they both are amazing fashion designers and I really like their collections.
RK : What are three menswear brands you love and why?
Shivam : I really like H&M, ZARA and Tommy Hilfiger as these brands have some of the best men clothing collection.
RK : What has been your best fashion purchase ever?
Shivam : As I live in Delhi NCR, I prefer buying my seasonal clothes from markets like Karol Bagh, Sarojini Nagar etc. where you can get really good clothes and for a cheap price.
RK : If you had to name one thing, what would be your favourite thing in your wardrobe right now?
Shivam : My favourite thing right now would definitely be my Knee ripped black denim jeans from ZARA which I bought last year. It is very comfortable and stylish. I really like it and it can be paired with almost anything in my wardrobe. Black jeans itself is a very versatile thing and gets along perfectly with almost everything.
RK : What is your favourite style, a suit or casual wear?
Shivam : I would say I am more into casual wear and there are no boundaries or rules in it. In a causal outfit you can pair of a lot thing together and experiment with a variety clothes and style. I always try to keep my outfit simple and decent and sometimes experiment a few things here and there. I always wear some accessories which compliments the overall outfit.
RK : What advice would you give men just becoming interested in fashion and beginning to define their style?
Shivam : I always say that being consistent is the key to anything and without dedication and focus you cannot achieve your target. If you are just starting to explore the world of fashion I would strongly recommend that you should first try to keep it to the basics and then climb up your way to different styles and experiment with them as it is very important to understand the basics and anything.
RK : We (Retro Kolkata) are trying to build one single stage for all the artists, because we believe that artists are the most beautiful creation of God and geographical boundary can never break their unity and harmony. Please say something about our initiative and any special message for your followers.
Shivam : I would like to thank Retro Kolkata for giving me this chance to tell my story and I really appreciate their efforts to unite all artists and share their stories through their magazine.
I would like to thank all my followers who support and encourage me to do this work and always like my content. I really matter a lot to me and this helps me to grow and motivate me to make amazing new content. Without the support of my followers I would have not made it so far and I am really grateful to each and every one.
Follow Shivam Gupta on Instagram
