Kanan Naheta is an image consultant and stylist, who has done it all from styling famous celebrities to making it to a list of 100 Women Entrepreneurs, Leaders and Professionals. With years of practical training in a design school and the support of the right mentors, Kanan has come a long way in the last 25 years. Her fashion experience gives her the edge to curate and customise looks for her clients and create outfits that are not available on multi-brand e-platforms and stores.

“Allow your passion to become your purpose, and it will one day become your profession”, this quote by American author, Gabrielle Bernstein resonates well with the journey of Kanan Naheta, an image consultant and personal stylist who has made it big in the fashion industry owing to her consistent efforts and zeal to be the best. Kanan, who was always passionate about fashion and styling, has been catering to clients not just in India but also in Dubai. As a professionally trained and qualified student of fashion, Kanan curates looks, combining the external influences with the intrinsic qualities to project a new-age style mantra. Apart from personalising looks for her clients, Kanan, as an image consultant also focuses on instilling new confidence in her clients by helping them improve their overall communication, body language, conversation skills and etiquette, which makes a big difference in overall personality development.

Women Entrepreneur Magazine engaged with Kanan Naheta to know about her journey and all the work she has put in to be where she is.

Could You Give Us An Overview Of Your Education In Fashion Designing And The Steps You Took To Get Into The Mainstream Fashion Industry?

Fashion was always my first passion, so after completing my bachelor’s degree in Commerce at NM College, I pursued a full-time intensive three year diploma in apparel manufacturing and fashion design at the PremlilaVithaldas Polytechnic at SNDT Campus in Santacruz, Mumbai during late 90s. During that phase, I learnt about every technical and design nuance of fashion design in-depth. I was truly privileged to get mentored by industry stalwarts such as the late Wendell Rodricks, HemantTrevedi and Neeta Lulla, who taught us specific subjects as visiting professors.

I have also been a part of Sir Hemant Trivedi’s team at Sheetal Design Studio, which opened up a whole new world of possibilities for a young design enthusiast like me. I styled many men’s wear wedding outfits and formal clothing for multiple clients and family members in my duration at Sheetal Design Studio. I also had multiple exhibitions of women’s Indo-western clothing before I migrated to Dubai in early 2000s. Soon after, I dabbled in a lot of photoshoot styling with international models and magazines as well as regularly styling all photoshoots for my husband’s jewellery brand in Dubai.

"I help my clients achieve better professional and personal relationships and a clear understanding of team building, emotional intelligence, communication and listening skills"

It made me realise that I wanted to take styling forward into a personalised offering to add value to its end users, rather than just brands. That led me to do an internationally-recognised certificate course in Image Management, Personal Styling and Personal Shopping from Sterling Style Academy, New York. Thereafter, I did the one year ICBI course in image styling and soft skills upon moving back to India in 2019 in order to expand my reach in the Indian community of image consultants.

What Value Do You Offer To Each Of Your Clients As An Image Consultant? Why, In Your View, Is It Crucial For Individuals To Nurture Themselves Into More Polished And Confident Beings?

My role as an image consultant is to provide the best styling solutions suited to my clients’ lifestyle, roles, goals and occasions based on his or her personality, profession, personal style, colour preferences and body shape. I ensure that their overall look presents them as authentic, attractive and the best versions of themselves, thus enabling them to create the right impressions, bag important deals and get noticed for project leadership or promotions.

Besides, appearance and wardrobe management, my work as an image coach also involves personality enhancement training which supports the makeover of my clients by instilling a new confidence in their overall communication, body language, communication skills and etiquette. It gears them up for the desired job positions rather than the positions they currently hold.

I help them achieve better professional and personal relationships and a clear understanding of team building, emotional intelligence, communication and listening skills. It is always important for any individual to focus on the way they dress up as well-dressed employees act as brand ambassadors for their company in any networking event.

How Has Your Overall Journey Been As A Stylist And Image Consultant?

My journey as an image consultant and personal stylist is deeply rooted in the know-how of apparel design and its technicality. Right since my initial years in this industry, I have done everything from scouting local textile markets for similar fabrics, trims and buttons to sitting with the tailors to explain exactly what I wanted and relentlessly pursuing them till they achieved the desired looks and fit. From that phase to this day, I have always focused on offering the best fashion advice to my clients.

Could You Mention A Few Milestones That You Have Achieved Over The Years?

I have had the opportunity to style 10 of Dubai’s most celebrated socialites for a brand campaign with Femina celebrating Unstoppable Women. I have also styled the Hollywood TV celebrity, Megan Pormer, for an exclusive photoshoot with Cosmopolitan Magazine, whose cover with Megan’s face and my styling went up on Times Square New York. To add to my accolades, I have also been featured in a bespoke coffee table book on 100 Women Entrepreneurs, Leaders and Professionals in the Middle East and Africa.