For someone who grew up around rolls of fabric, watching her mother sketch patterns and create enchanting outfits in her quaint boutique, it doesn’t come as a surprise that city girl, Manvi Gandotra, found her true calling to explore fashion as a photographer and blogger.
Her blog, styleinked.com, revolves around practical in-trend tips and editorials. So while there is a style guide section that tells you the dos and don’ts of wearing white nail polish, you can journey with the blogger through picturesque Wayanad or even catch the pulse of the fashion scene in San Francisco. Then there’s a DIY segment for all crafting enthusiasts where Manvi puts up tutorials on how to make your own crop top or the perfect aloe vera gel. Her shopping guide is just as helpful to her readers.
Manvi recounts, “I started writing about fashion three years ago because as a working woman, I found it difficult to go to a single source for immediate and usable advice on clothing and accessories. Also, I wanted to infuse my expertise in photography to create a visual guide that takes just a few minutes of one’s time but keeps one informed.”
Interestingly, Manvi does not hold a degree in fashion but has pursued her B.Tech instead. “Years of exposure to clothing, fabrics, and tailoring in my mother’s boutique equipped me with a sense of what’s good and what’s not. After years of working in a corporate cubicle, I found it much more fulfilling to connect with hundreds of readers and contribute to their fashion life,” she says.
According to her, “Making the career shift was easy thanks to the support my readers give me. I collaborate a lot with my readers. Most of my articles are in response to reader questions and feedback.”
As someone who has an eye for detail and whose tryst with the lens is her favourite story to tell, Manvi’s photography has appeared in fashion columns of big brands such as Myntra, Tanishq, and Lee. Her fashion writing assignments have even included collaborations with bigwigs like French Connection.
Speaking of what goes into each of her detailed fashion posts, Manvi explains, “I do a lot of basic research by simply walking down the streets of India and talking to my readers. I try to dive deep to understand their aspirations and constraints. I then explore dozens of brands and trends to get an understanding of what’s happening in the market. Somewhere, unexpectedly, as a result of this, an editorial or article idea is synthesised. I then work with brands and designers to put together a piece. I do all of the photography and work with freelance models.”
While she’s got a lot of plans and projects in her kitty, what she’s looking forward to right now is working on creating editorials for Indian designers by mixing the styles of two different designers in a single shoot, a largely unexplored territory at the moment.
