KOCHI: Gayathri Mohan truly caught the eye of fashion enthusiasts in Kerala when she appeared in Poornima Indrajith’s label Pranaah’s Onam collection photoshoot last year. Gayathri not only modelled the clothes but also styled the entire shoot, evoking the sweet, carefree nostalgia the designer elicited. The 27-year-old’s realm of interest, as evidenced in her Instagram feed, goes beyond fashion to blend an art like aesthetic.
A Kochi native, Gayathri dropped out of National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai, to pursue art. She worked as an illustrator for the next four years conducting workshops and exhibitions before starting her Instagram handle in 2017 as a platform to articulate her love for fashion.
“I didn’t want to be a designer and make clothes but I really like fashion. So one day, I styled my mother’s saree with a leather jacket and asked my dad to take photos and uploaded them on Instagram.
Slowly I approached fashion brands asking if I could style their collections. I did not know many models in the city, so I also modelled the clothes. That is how it all began,” says Gayathri who, over the past three years, has grown to be a freelance stylist and model of formidable repute in the city. With over 31,000 followers and counting, Gayathri is reluctant to call herself an influencer. Instead, she brands herself more modestly as a creator — one whose work comes off as effortlessly cool.
Gayathri says her ‘alt fashion’ and ‘high street’ looks are often a result of instinctive choices. “For my personal projects, if I am recreating a cartoon character’s look, I am not interested in replicating the exact thing. I don’t want to make a costume. I only take inspiration in terms of silhouette and colour pallete and then look at it from a stylist’s point of view.”
Having worked with elite select brands like Pranaah, as well as celebrities including Anna Ben, Gayathri is keen on collaborating with Vogue magazine one day. Meanwhile she is resolute about campaigning for more south Indian models and creators to be represented better on a global scale.Find Gayathri’s work on
Instagram @gayu_inkb
Visual treat
Gayathri uses techniques of digital collage and photo morphing to get a sombre, surreal and eclectic take on dressing and makeup referencing symbols and icons from pop culture. Her Instagram handle, a personal portfolio of sorts almost wears the look of a high brow performative art served on a kitschy platter. “Since the Covid outbreak, I have started experimenting properly with makeup. Since I have not been painting as much as I used to, makeup fills that gap.
I am now more comfortable with self portraits and being in front of the camera. The pandemic also gave me time to experiment more with what I uploaded and create a mood by making collages with what I found on the internet,” says Gayathri who uses Afterlight and Adobe Lightroom to edit.