International Style

Amit Gajwani ’97 insists that being a professional stylist in New York is not as glamorous as it sounds. His most recent projects have included styling music videos, recent ads for the United States Postal Service, fashion stories in various international magazines, and a project for Bravo TV. His client list includes Katie Couric, Ivanka Trump, and Rufus Wainwright, and his work has appeared in everything from Abercrombie & Fitch advertisements to O, The Oprah Magazine.

Born in Bombay, India, Gajwani moved to the United States when he was 12. The intersection of those two cultures has certainly influenced his work, he says, as has traveling through South America and Asia. “Seeing all these different cultures and their use of design, color, and the way it’s all put together plays a part in the way I look at fashion in the Western world,” he says.

After graduating from Vassar with a degree in psychology, Gajwani started working with a friend doing marketing and public relations for some fashion designers in New York. They shared a loft with an agency that represented photographers. After meeting them, “they asked if I would be interested in styling some shoots for them since I had access to some beautiful clothing,” he says. “I said sure, I liked it, and the rest is history.”

As a freelance stylist, Gajwani is able to work on a diverse range of projects at one time. “I like doing it all,” he says—fashion shoots, music videos, and artistic projects are enjoyable because they are the most creative. Ads and commercials are exciting because he gets to see his work on a larger scale. With celebrity clients, “it’s always fascinating working with people looked up to by the masses and seeing how down to earth they really are,” says Gajwani.

A typical styling job for Gajwani entails participation in all aspects of planning and executing a shoot. This includes meeting with directors to discuss the concept of the project and then throughout the research process, which involves gathering ideas for wardrobe, hair, and makeup. Once casting is done, Gajwani and his assistants go to stores and designers’ showrooms to collect the pieces, and conduct fittings with each model or actor. The actual photo shoot can take hours or days, depending on the project: print work is typically less demanding than film work.

The constantly changing, fast-paced atmosphere of 5 a.m.-to-1 a.m. shoots can get hectic, but it is always worth it to see the end result, Gajwani says. “I get to work with all different types of people, I get to travel, I don’t have to work in an office—I am very happy about that,” he says. “Each day has a new project at hand. There is no routine.” The evolving tastes of fashion around the world provide for a range of endlessly shifting influences that Gajwani can apply to his work, which he says relies on “transcending the ordinary.” “I get to help create this fantasy world,” he says. It sounds like glamour is definitely a part of the picture.

— Mally Anderson ’10

Photos: courtesy of Amit Gajwani '97