HAUS OF TWELV #4: RHEA GUPTE
Rhea Gupte played the role of Official Blogger for Lakme Fashion Week, India in the year 2013 and has been covering the event in various capacities since that season. She walked the ramp at Lakme Fashion Week in 2014 for the Koecsh VIK Show, being the only other blogger in India to do so. She was also invited to attend Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia in 2014 which led her to interviewing and collaborating with many Australian designers.
Rhea is popular on the online circuit as The Girl From FUSS where she portrays an edgy yet elegant world of thrifted and high street fashion through her perspective of the beautiful world around her. Every outfit is lovingly styled with the signature FUSS aesthetic and every shoot carefully thought out and planned to present the outfit, temperament and inspiration of the moment in the best way. Though the look of the blog is editorial, a product which does not suit the personal aesthetics of the blogger is never featured and the text on every post is honest.
-----------------Rhea Gupte's INTERVIEW-----------------
R:I'm from Mumbai, India but I shifted to Goa last year to explore this part of the country. I work full time on running my website fuss.co.in and I create editorial content for it. I also model. I love discovering new places and currently am looking at seeing as much of India as possible - it is so vast and diverse. Goa is an absolutely beautiful beach heaven with so much to see and absorb. It is a very inspiring place to live in.
R:FUSS is my way of creative expression and exploring possibilities of creating new and challenging content which pushes me as a stylist, model, and creative director. I feature my everyday looks, work on more serious editorial kind of shoots, and have also started doing travel posts to work on my photography skills.
R:It is very humbling and a bit surprising, to hear from my readers and get instant feedback. I truly value them and their support. However, that being said, I would still continue doing what I am doing if FUSS had zero readership.
R:I started the blog as a place to write about fashion and styling tips but it slowly expanded into a personal style blog. Today I look at it as my online portfolio and work on it accordingly, to the best of my abilities.
R:I find inspiration from reading, certain thoughts which stick, people in the street, movies, especially Ghibli movies. Apart from this skimming through magazines and looknook.nu as well as seeing other bloggers.
R:I never wear leggings as pants with a short top.
R:Fashion to me is exploring facets of my personality and trying to find what makes me feel the most 'me'
R:The creative process and working with talented people.
R:It is not exactly a mission but I would love to have people dress just as they want to dress. Not for trends, not to impress others, not for a brand but simply for themselves.
R:Dreamer, Optimist, Ambitious, Perfectionist, Empathetic.
R:FUSS
R:I have too many favourite dressers. I love Drew Ginsburg of Dylanlex, Mary Kate Olsen, Freja Beha Erichsen to name a few.
R:My favorite designers internationally are Ann Demeulemeester and Haider Ackermann. In India I love Huemn and Ikai. I am a big thrift/street shopper. I love to find interesting pieces at little vintage stores and flea markets.
14. Where would you like to go to do shoot?
R:I would love to travel to Leh to do a large editorial. Abroad, Provence and Venice are on the top of my bucket list along with a hundred other places.
15. How do you describe the fashion scene in India (or Goa).
R:It is difficult to put the fashion scene of the whole of India into words as the different cultures in each state largely influence the dressing sense of people. But one can broadly break it into the traditionally dressed, the safe dressers and those who put more personality in the way they dress. In Goa most people wear western clothes and the predominant style here is inspired largely from the hippie era. Then there are regularly dressed people too in just a shirt and trousers and also women in saris or skirt-blouses. Youngsters mostly wear western clothes and save traditional ones for auspicious occasions.
16. What are your career goals in the future.
R:Having a blog or a website, other than it's creative endeavours, is essentially to pave the way for bigger business opportunities and expanding into a bigger brand. I always have this in mind but am taking baby-steps to be sure that I have enough knowledge, time and understanding before venturing into a new territory.
Website: http://www.fuss.co.in/
FB: Rhea Gupte
Google+: Rhea Gupte
Twitter: Rhea Gupte
Instagram: Rhea Gupte
INTERVIEW & WRITTEN BY: TOMOKO MARUYAMA
INTRODUCTION: FUSS www.fuss.co.in
PHOTO CREDIT: DOLLY HAORAMBAM AND www.fuss.co.in FOR LOVEGOLD
