Nancy Tyagi opens up to Cosmo India about her journey and dream of becoming a fashion designer to the stars

It’s not every day that you hear about someone shooting to fame overnight. But Nancy Tyagi did. The content creator's image from the Cannes Film Festival red carpet spread like wildfire. Her story proves that if you can concoct the perfect (and notoriously elusive) blend of hard work and luck, the sky is the limit. Tygai’s journey is intriguing, and we saw exactly why on the set of our digital cover photoshoot. 

When we first laid eyes on Tyagi, she had just walked onto the set in her first look—a puffy green dress that seemed right in her wheelhouse. She set the tone of the shoot with her request to play 'Mar Jawaan' from the movie Fashion on repeat. By the time we got to the fifth (and last) look, it had turned into an earworm for most of us. But the attitude Tyagi brought—from start to finish—embodied this song and movie completely; it was almost as if she had become one of its characters.   

However, considering the high-fashion moment that catapulted 23-year-old Tyagi to virality, this wasn’t surprising. The image of her grinning at the Cannes Film Festival in a self-made gown will go down in influencer history. Did you know that she took 30 days and 1,000 meters of fabric to sew that ruffled pink ensemble? It featured a long train and weighed 20kg. But it was all clearly worth it. Tyagi looked like she had walked out of a pumpkin-turned-carriage and into a royal ball. The only thing missing were the glass slippers. 

The first question we asked her was how being a content creator and a designer has helped her stand out in a very saturated industry—does one aspect of her career help the other? To this, she pointed out, “Being a creator and a designer complement each other. Designing allows me to express my unique vision and creativity, while my role as a fashion influencer helps me share my designs with a wider audience. Each role enhances the other.”

At the risk of stating the obvious, Tyagi has grown exponentially over the last few months. She now enjoys a following of 2.6M people. Her social media tells the story of a girl who has worked tirelessly to get to where she is. “The inspiration to start creating and showcasing my outfits on Instagram came during the lockdown. With more time on my hands, I began experimenting with different styles and sharing them online. My passion for designing dates back to my childhood when I used to make dyed clothes for my dolls,” she lets us in.   

One of the most poignant moments from the Cosmopolitan India digital cover shoot was when she posed in an outfit she had made from scratch—a powder blue strapless gown with ruffles, a sash, and matching gloves. Call it a statement or her signature, gloves were a mainstay throughout the entire shoot. This was the ensemble Tyagi had originally sewed and styled for her birthday earlier this year. It was beautiful, especially considering the fact that she is completely self-taught. 

When we asked her about the very first outfit she created, she told us that she transformed her mother’s black saree into a lehenga choli within a day. This incredible feat gave her the confidence to pursue designing. She said, “I find inspiration in a fabric market. This might seem unusual for some, but it's a rich source of creative ideas. The wide array of textures, colours, and patterns found there often sparks my imagination and influences the direction of my designs.”   

After her momentous appearance on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet, Tyagi has been appreciated and lauded by her fellow content creators as well as several Bollywood celebrities. Sonam Kapoor, for instance, took to her social media to ask Tyagi to create an outfit for her after seeing her second look at Cannes—a lavender saree featuring intricate embroidery. When we asked her how that felt, she said, “Being complimented by Sonam Kapoor is incredibly gratifying. Making clothes for big celebrities has always been my dream.”  

Before calling it a day, Tyagi left us with a piece of advice for all young entrepreneurs whose goals and dreams are similar to hers. “Stay passionate and persistent. Focus on honing your skills, embrace learning, and don't be afraid to take risks. Stay true to your unique vision, work hard, and the results will follow,” she wraps up. 

Shoot talent: 

Editor: Pratishtha Dobhal (@pratishthadobhal)
Digital Editor: Sonal Ved (@sonalved)
Photographer: Abhishek Gambhir (@shukran.in)
Stylist: Sahil Gulati (@sahil.gulati.756)
Interview: Mitali Shah (@haveyouseenmitu)
Cover Design: Mandeep Khokhar (@mandy_khokhar19)
Editorial Coordinator: Shalini Kanojia (@shalinikanojia)
Hair Stylist: Umang Thapa (@umang.artist)
Make-up Artist: Karma Choezo, (@realkarma_mua)
Styling Assistants: Smriti Mishra (@smritimishra.stylist) and Sakshi Jain (@styledbysaksh)
Set Design: Janhavi Patwardhan (@theartnut_j/)

Nancy is wearing jacket, Love Birds Studio (@lovebirds.studio); necklace,  Litmus India (@litmusindia); earrings, Radhika Agrawal Studio (@radhikaagrawalstudio); boots, Theater (@theater.xyz)

Also read: Tamannaah Bhatia on playing Cosmo India’s muse for the biggest beauty trends RN

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