From Berlin to India, Nic Kaufmann is blending his social media fame with a whole lot of culture and fashion

Nic Kaufmann is the man into finance, 6’ 5”...you’ve been looking all over the Internet for. Although, he does confess: “I wouldn’t say 6’ 5”, but the rest of them, I can relate to,” on a Zoom call. The 23-year-old—he has walked for the Italian fashion label Dsquared2—with more than 19 million followers on TikTok, joins from Berlin. He is warm, welcoming, and also happens to have great hair (definitely the genes). The TikTok ban in India might have made us a little oblivious to talents like him. But fret not,
we’ve got you.

Born in 2000 to a German father and an Indian mother, Kaufmann (@nic.kaufmann) grew up in Singapore with his mom, ever since his parents got divorced. Although never one to play it by the book, he still managed to get good grades all along. “Having an Indian mom meant that I had to do well in school,” he giggles. Not having a lot of friends growing up, Kaufmann spent most of his time playing video games and looking up to sportsmen like professional tennis players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and of course, Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

With roots in Pune—Kaufmann has travelled to most of the states in India. When asked about his favourite Indian food, he just couldn’t pick one. “It would be impossible to choose because I love Indian food so much. I love eating with my hands—makes me feel very at home. I love all kinds of Indian flatbreads, whether it’s naan or paratha, even chapati. I think this type of carb doesn’t really exist in Western food”

Kaufmann tells me he is learning to speak Hindi—something he’s always wanted to do, “I always felt a little sad about the fact that I couldn’t speak Hindi. But now I think by the end of the year, I’ll speak the language fluently.” He grew up watching Bollywood movies, and says that it had a huge impact on him as a kid. “My favourite actor is Aamir Khan. I loved Taare Zameen Par (2007) and 3 Idiots (2009). I related to Ishaan in Taare Zameen Par because he, too, didn’t fit in so well in school.”

At a time when today’s superstar can be tomorrow’s has-been in a jiffy, content creation can get a little daunting. But Kaufmann remains unfazed. “I’m not gambling here, right? I have a career with a strategy behind it. I am a smart guy and in my heart, I know that I’m a morally good person, which means the only way things can disappear overnight is when you go on-air and say something that offends a group of people—I’m not that guy.” Nonetheless, he isn’t afraid of making mistakes. Kaufmann shares, “By doing things with a high chance of failure, I become more comfortable with the concept of failing, and failing doesn’t mean I’m a failure.”

A big loafers and jorts fan, Kaufmann is exactly like any other Gen Z when it comes to picking out outfits—he scrolls through Pinterest to see what he likes and doesn’t. “I don’t have one specific style icon, because I don’t like to copy others,” he explains. However, Kaufmann does take inspiration from icons, including his all-time favourite designer Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford during his Gucci days, and Queen’s lead vocalist Freddie Mercury. “Recently, I’ve been taking a lot of inspiration from K-pop, because I think that stylistically, they’re far ahead. But honestly, a lot of it comes through Pinterest.” His style is fluid—something his 1.8 million Instagram followers are well aware of, and looking at the number of likes on each of his posts, they clearly can’t get enough of it. But, there is more to the social media sensation’s choice of clothing beyond them being just clothes. He is persistent when it comes to making a case for dressing whatever way one wants to without feeling they might be judged for it. “Our society’s definitions of masculinity are very pointless—I think men should be honourable, they should provide safety and care for their family, and you should be able to trust their word,” he explains. “We need to drop these expectations of what a man is supposed to wear and not (wear), instead focus on what a man is supposed to do and the kind of values he’s supposed to uphold.”

Starting off as a “mainstream TikTok boy”, Kaufmann is confident he isn’t being boxed into that image anymore. “I don’t think the world sees me that way anymore, especially because my content has been changing.”

So, what’s next for Kaufmann?

“I have been making music for two years now, but very spontaneously and inconsistently, and more as a hobby. I will probably be releasing music within the next one or two years, one or two songs at least, but you won’t see me touring or anything anytime soon.” Alongside his musical ventures, Kaufmann is working on a fashion label which will take inspiration from Indian culture. “It will be affordable so everyone—especially my followers—can purchase the clothing. It is important that the people who brought me my success can also share it with me.”

Behind a perfectly curated online persona, lies a self-proclaimed nerd. “I am still a really weird guy, and I have a lot of random little interests. I’m into computer science, finance, robotics, and artificial intelligence,” Kaufmann says. Moreover, he is thoughtful and smart—traits you might not expect from a 23-year-old who found fame from the comfort of his room. He is mindful of the privileges and responsibilities that come with this fame and wants to give back to society. “Within the next 20 years or so I want to open a charity that provides education to underprivileged children, because I think a large part of my success came from my access to really good education and I’m incredibly thankful to my parents for that.”

This article originally appeared in the Cosmopolitan July-August 2024 issue.

Photographs: Tibo Tiebackx

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