Content creator Ankush Bahuguna or wingitwithankush on Instagram recently made his debut at Cannes Film Festival. In a conversation with Social Ketchup, he shares some deets about the process that lead to the event.
A week after Cannes Film Festival 2024 and we're still not able to stop talking about this 10 day glorious affair and the presence of content creators on the red carpet at the French Riviera! Love it or hate it but you surely can't ignore the wave Indian content creators have made this year at Cannes and content creator Ankush Bahuguna is proof. With content that focuses on experimenting with makeup, jewellery and society's confined definition of masculinity, via wingitbyankush, he's broken one too many stereotypes. And his Cannes lewks were no different, whether it was opting for an Ombré brow or a vintage hairdo you've conventionally loved on women in the past.
In a conversation with Social Ketchup, Ankush talks about his thought process behind each of his looks. How did this experience leave him feeling? What was the prep like? He's spoken about it all!
Also Read: In conversation with Geisha Designs about collaborating with content creator Niki Mehra for her Cannes debut outfit
Here's what he had to say!
What does it look like to be a creator about to walk a renowned film festival like Cannes?
In my case, it was a lot of last-minute chaos, as you would expect to see before any important appearance. And there was a lot of nervousness because it’s the biggest red carpet I’ve walked in my life. It’s a global platform and you want to put your best foot forward. It also fills you with gratitude for the people who believed in you and the way life has turned out and it also fills your heart with so much hope, just looking back and realizing how far you’ve come.
Can you mention all your preps to walk the red carpet? Was there a routine you followed?
I had planned to get a lot of good sleep before the red carpet which obviously didn’t happen. No skincare routine in the world can compete with stress and overthinking, haha. I just took a deep breath, did my makeup, got my hair done, and practiced a few poses (which I forgot on the red carpet) but I did spend some time researching the film I was going to watch because I was very very excited to not just walk the red carpet but also watch the film in the theatre and I wanted to know all the context there was to the movie, the filmmakers and the actors.
This is your first time walking the Cannes carpet, what was this experience of preparing for Cannes like?
The experience of preparing for Cannes was extensive. I read up all I could on the Indian films being screened there because I really wanted to meet Indian filmmakers there. A lot of time was also spent figuring out what to wear. I also did hair trials with my hair artist in Mumbai before leaving so we knew exactly what we wanted. The experience was hectic but so thrilling! Because I’ve only read about these experiences, for the first time, I was living it!
Did you have any expectations from the festival, and were they fulfilled? What was this whole experience like?
Not really, I took it as an opportunity to represent male beauty, especially in South Asia and throw light on some new, young Indian designers and watch good films and I managed to do all of that. The experience was unlike any other. I have a lot of stylist and makeup artist friends who’ve been there before so they had already told me how hectic it gets so I was prepared about that aspect of it too. It was my moment and I was loving it, no matter how chaotic it got.
Can you talk about your outfits? How did you decide on them and did you plan on adding any elements that represent who you are as a creator?
My outfits were curated by celebrity stylist Akshay Tyagi. He gets me as a person and both of us knew from Day 1 that we wanted to represent who I truly am, and not dress for shock value. We were also certain that we wanted to wear labels that stand for something - be it heritage, culture, or new India. So I started Cannes with a Torani look which was a vibrant and colorful kurta set with an overcoat but we modernised it with black boots. I painted my eyebrows in an ombré with it. I also wanted to approach beauty in a fresh way so I wore ombré brows which was received really well.
For the Bharat Pavillion, we wanted to dress clean, minimal yet chic so we went with an Abhishek Sharma creation. An embellished outfit from Rajdeep Ranawat was the perfect choice for an after-party and we paired it with jewelry from Amrapali and some really striking eye makeup in green! For the red carpet, Akshay wanted a fresh take on a tuxedo so we followed the color scheme but turned it around. It was designed by Rosani, the shoes were Louboutin and gave me dramatic vintage finger curls in the hair! The idea was to explore beauty and fashion more and more with every look without losing individuality.
Why do you think it makes sense to have creators or influencers walk at a global platform like Cannes?
Creators have a lot of impact and influence today. These are self-made people with very loyal communities. Like it or not, creators are the new age entertainers which is why you would’ve seen them be a part of so many movie marketing strategies even in Bollywood. All OTT platforms work closely with creators, celebrities collaborate with creators on the regular to promote their films, and there are creator-led shows now because the value creators bring to the table is undeniable. Creators can use their platforms to talk about Indian films, young Indian designers and so much more at a global platform like Cannes. There’s a lot of gatekeeping still when it comes to creators reaching places but it’ll change over time. Cannes has always been as much about glamour as it’s been about films. Eminent people from all walks of life have been a part of Cannes for many years. I’m happy that Indian creators are finally getting global coverage!
What do you think of his lewks at Cannes? Tell us in the comments below!
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