I am not a fashion conscious person. But I admire banker Anil Shah, his clothing style and personality. He seems perfect and fabulous every time and in every occasion. That’s the fashion I always love to wear. — Ashok Wagle, Kavre My fashion icon is none other than talented and bold personality — Malvika Subba. I think I was in school when she was crowned Miss Nepal in 2002. Since then, I have admired her. I love what she wears, be it formal or party wear. She carries all sorts of outfits very well. Her bold dressing styles define her and she has influenced me a lot. — Indira Magar If there’s anything which has influenced my fashion choice, it has to be my comfort and confidence. In the changing fashion, feeling comfortable in what I wear is important. I find some people spending a lot of money in malls and on branded clothes to look fashionable. But you can pull off even with the clothes available at smaller stores — it’s all about confidence. I wear all types of clothes — feminine to tomboyish — with my unique twist, and I am happy about my choices. — Sunita Shakya, Lalitpur I was quite fashionable during my high school and college days. To begin with, there was Roger Taylor of Duran Duran who I tried to copy. Michael Jackson, Matt Dillon, George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, Ralph Macchio, Michael J Fox, Sanjay Dutt, Tom Cruise et cetera were my icons. We loved our Lee, Wrangler, Texwood, Nike, Reebok, Puma and Ray Ban. Then the trend of sporting long hair and trying to look like metal-heads was in. Whenever I flip through my old pictures, I get nostalgic and wish those days were back again. — Birendra Das, Kalimpong When it comes to fashion and style, King of Rock n Roll — Elvis Presley is the one who comes in my mind. Whether it is hand tailored shirt and suits with flashy shoes to ruggy leather jacket, people back in 80’s used to copy his style. Every guy wanted to be like Presley and every girl wanted to date him. He wore his hair long before everyone else thought it was fashion. He was the master of fashion embracing all colours, and let us not forget his slick eye-wear. I can assure we are still adapting the proportions of his looks to our wardrobe. Beside his eccentric fashion side, his hairstyle is still loved and practised. His good looks, talent, sensuality and charisma endeared him to millions but his clothing always got bang on trend. — Anonymous There are various celebrities around the world who I look up to when it comes to my clothing choices. Earlier, I used to follow Hollywood and Bollywood stars to style myself. But lately I look up to own new Nepali talent Anmol KC. I have become a huge fan of KC after watching his movies. He is the rising star and perhaps one of the best dressed heroes in Nepali film industry. The way he carries himself and dresses up is simply amazing and very trendy. He is my fashion icon and I try to imitate him. Whatever he wears, I look for similar clothes and try to copy him. He is my fashion guru now. — Birbal Khatri, Shahaniya, Qatar, Abraj Qatar Group Famous people influence us in various ways, fashion is one of many such forms of influence. On the contrary, I am not influenced by any particular person when it comes to my fashion choice as I don’t believe in following someone’s fashion sense or style vacuously. It’s not like I don’t pay attention to what famous people wear in public. But I get my sheer knowledge of fashion and style from how people have presented themselves. And if it’s impressive, I don’t miss an opportunity to find my ways to customise it and make it work for me. — Anusha Karki, Bafal, Kathmandu The well known designer Prabal Gurung has influenced my fashion choice. His eccentric and chic sense is well-known among national and international celebrities. One day I would love to wear his designs. Well, the popularity he gained by designing for international personalities and celebrities is the main thing that has made me passionate about him. He has been my idol and I follow his style statement. — Deepa Rana, Dhapasi I’m a die-hard fan of football star Lionel Andres Messi and this amazing icon has highly influenced my fashion choice. I get so much exhilarated whenever I wear Argentina’s home jersey or Barca’s jersey. This soccer jersey is associated with techno fabric that wicks away moisture and makes you feel comfortable in the summer season. Wearing these jerseys, I imitate the pose of Messi, the way he celebrates after scoring a goal. I also take pictures of mine — imitating Messi’s fashion style — and share them on Facebook. It feels entirely different and amazing when I follow his wonderful gesture and fashion trends. Moreover, it inspires me to do better and better in each and every step of my life. — Sanjog Karki, Tansen-6, Basantapur, Palpa Those who promptly and frequently use their hankies for covering their faces at the time of coughing, sneezing and spitting are the greatest style-icons. This is a style-statement that bears the testimony of caring attitude. These style-icons broadcast a clear message that they not only take great care of themselves but also pay equal attention to others’ health. They shield their mouth and nose for their own protection whenever necessary. But when they promptly use their hankies to protect others from themselves, they become my role models. We can help stop spreading many diseases if this style becomes a popular fashion. I want to imitate this style in which a mere piece of cloth turns out to be a flag of humanity. — Sujit De, Kolkata-700110, West Bengal, India I think fashion is not what you follow, it’s what you carry. Nonetheless, there are people who lead and the people who follow him/her. Not a long time ago, I used to sport dreadlocks. I no longer have them but I do have all of them in a bag, secured as memory. Musician Bob Marley was the precursors of the dreads. I know long hair is not seen by many in our society as particularly suave. And not everyone supported my hairdo, and I clearly remember when my parents used to say, “Be careful son, we heard police are after the guys who sport long hair and are trimming them.” But deep within I knew that most people did know that Marley was a wonderful musician, activist, and revolutionary in his own way. Although dreadlocks go way back, I think it was Marley and his songs which have changed a few things in me, and I wish I could show people all the changes. — Vikash Khanal, Kathmandu In this world, one’s fashion is influenced by other who is famous or praiseworthy. Children’s fashion is sometimes influenced by sportsperson, teachers, family members, singer and artists. As for me, I have been highly influenced by Nepali banker Anil Keshari Shah’s personality and his fashion sense since I have been working in the same field. When he gives an interview in suit, his appearance reflects his success as a banker. I also sometimes compare myself with him and dress up like him so as to be like him. — Suvas Dahal, Student, Brilliant Multiple Campus, Chabahil, Kathmandu I really have no such particular fashion icon because I am not an ardent fashionista. But I’m aware about the recent fashion event which is going on in Kathmandu. Although I haven’t got an opportunity to attend such an event ever, I know for sure that it’s being organised on a positive note. This means that our country is slowly advancing in fashion, even if it is not like in North America, Europe and Australia which are doing extremely well in the world of fashion. Nonetheless, I support the Nepali fashion event like TGIF Nepal Fashion Week and I hope it will be a huge success. — Pratik Shrestha, Buddhanagar, Baneshwor Everyone is influenced by fashion in his/her life. In my case, there is one person who I like the most because of his admirable fashion sense. He is none other than Mahatma Gandhi. He is my favourite fashion icon. Gandhi is known not only for simple life but also for his dress code during his lifetime. His idea of simple white cotton clothes made by his own hands with the help of ‘charkha’, has inspired me to look up to him. I also like his round shaped eye glasses. — Saroj Wagle, Dumarwana, Bara Famous people have always been successful in shaping fashion trends since ages and it is the same even today. Every star has their own style statement and there are many people who look up to them in terms of fashion. I personally like the style statement of many fashion icons, be it an international or national celebrities. Moreover, fashion for me is about being comfortable and creating your own style statement which helps you to show the real ‘you’. I do follow the latest fashion trends but I don’t really get influenced by any fashion icon in terms of my fashion choices. Whatever suits me, and complements me, I opt for that. — Tejaswi Pahari, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor has always influenced my fashion choices. In her famous film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, her fashionable looks are awesome. I have always admired her fashionable clothes and her looks. She looks pretty in any kinds of dress. My fashion choices have been influenced by her looks in her movies like Heroine, Main Prem Ki Deewani Hun, Hulchul, Don, Milenge Milenge, Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu, Golmaal Returns, Kambakkht Isqh and Ki & Ka. — Shreya Baral I believe fashion doesn’t mean to follow a particular trend. It’s about a person’s comfort zone — who prefers what to wear as per his/her comfort. For me, Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut stands as the most influencing fashion icon. She represents herself so comfortably in any outfit. She is a fashion diva — beauty with brain. She oozes confidence and gorgeousness in any style she carries, in terms of her hair, clothes, accessories and shoes et cetera. She maintains flawless balance between her attitude and style. She is an example of robust confidence and attitude for me. — Aarati Regmi, tahari-6, Sunsari Talk about fashion or style, and the first thing that comes to my mind is English supermodel Kate Moss. I find her the most stylist person ever. She is a complete package of a laid-back and carefree persona. Her attitude of “I don’t care a hang” reflects in her dressing sense, walk, et cetera, and it is simply superb. She is not the kind of a person who ends up looking sleek, fit and tidy all the time, but she looks her best when she is messy and without any make-up. She effortlessly ends up looking the most beautiful in sunglasses advertisements — especially with dark colour lipstick. When it comes to male fashion icon, I like British actor Hugh Grant. If there is anyone who can look like a million dollar bucks in shorts — it’s Grant. And who can forget the long loose tee-shirt paired with a pair of cargo jeans, and flip-flops of Ashton Kutcher, and his favourite accessory — a baseball cap or a bandana? Quite stylish, isn’t he? Apart from them, Cara Delevingne, Deepika Padukone and Milind Soman are also very fashionable. I might sound silly but I tried a bit of contouring make-up to be like one of my female fashion icons! — Smriti Dahal, Pepsicola, Townlanning-35 There is no doubt that the film stars and models have great influence on us when it comes to fashion. Being a simple middle class Nepali guy, I can’t pick up the fashion that my role model prefers. I can’t wear the clothes worn by my role models, not because I don’t want to but because I can’t afford those expensive clothes in my closet. But, thanks to the clothes stalls on footpath, I can select clothes within my budget, and even sometimes I get the clothes that make me look like my role model. — Anonymous In the 21st Century, fashion has affected the modern society very deeply. Fashion represents how an individual presents himself to the outside world. It includes everything, from dressing sense to individual behaviour, personality and communication style. And we ordinary people are highly influenced by the fashion of famous people — celebrities of Hollywood and Bollywood — through different media. I don’t follow particular famous person’s fashion sense, but I try to apply fashion that is suitable to my nature and acceptable in my society. I think globally and act locally. For me fashion is a medium to reflect our culture, tradition, value, and true self. — Muna Aryal, Brilliant Multiple Campus, Chabahil, MBS Ist Year Politics exist everywhere and it is evident in the fashion world too. Fashion trends start from renowned people whom we call celebrities. If we have a closer look on fashion industry in the last decades, it has changed drastically. There may be thousands of fashion designers in the world, but only few have carved niche in the fashion industry. More than half of the world’s population follows the Hollywood fashion. But there is no such fashion icon who has influenced my fashion choices. — Saksham Shrestha, Chappalkarkhana, Kathmandu My fashion icon is Mahanayak Rajesh Hamal. I love his each and every style. I find his dressing sense in Kasam movie superb. I used to wear the similar long coat Hamal had donned in the film. Similarly, he wore normal glasses in some of his movies and he looked stunning in them. Since then, I started wearing glasses. Also, I have been much influenced by his long hair. Usually I follow each and every style of Hamal but I am overwhelmed by the way he walks and the way he speaks. — Mim Bahadur Pariyar Several rock and reel celebrities have shaped my fashion taste including Yul Brynner’s tonsured head, Keith Richards’ tramp-ish look, Client Eastwood’s cowboy look, Wesley Snipes’ menacingly formal style in New Jack City and Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon’s stylish formal. Among the couturiers, I enjoy Ralph Lauren’s elegant, understated formal and Issey Miyake’s futuristic sartorial colourful designs. I have preserved my Mikaye elegant chequered trousers for special occasions. But in deference to the dust and smoke in the city these days, I walk around like Keith Richards a lot with Yul Brynner’s head. Several times I have been stopped at Bhaktapur Durbar Square for entry fees! — Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu I don’t follow any famous icon because I prefer the dresses which look good on me. We buy the clothes seeing our budget and capacity — fashion by famous icon is expensive and not all people can afford to buy them. Imitating others in terms of fashion is not good, and I have my own choice. So, in terms of fashion, nobody has influenced me. — Sonika Lamichhane Famous people set their own fashion trends with their hairstyles and what they wear. And they influence others. In 80’s and 90’s, heroes of the Hindi film industry like Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan had their own fashion style and many people followed their trends by wearing belly paints and donning hairstyle like that of Khanna. In modern age, footballer David Beckham and others have set their own style in terms hair and clothes. I also follow fashion trends in simple ways. I don’t want to be someone like Rajesh Hamal or Messi but I still follow their simple style of living and fashion. But their personalities have influenced me in some way. I love to wear simple clothes rather than branded. — Binod Nepal, Saraswatinagar Kathmandu, Brilliant College, MBS 1St Year