New Delhi: Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira’s marriage to fitness coach Nupur Shikhare was the wedding of the season. Commentators, critics and culture watchdogs oohed and aahed over the fashion on display—until Sufi Motiwala sounded a discordant note on Instagram. “These are dadaji chappals that even dadajis aren’t wearing because they moved on to sneakers,” he said, poking fun at Ira’s choice of footwear, his disjointed head popping up in a viral Instagram reel. And the public gaze swung to Motiwala, a Gen Z fashion student from Mumbai who counts Karan Johar as one of his followers.
He is among a new breed of young fashion commentators on social media who are threatening to dislodge critics from their positions of power. They are software engineers, former UPSC aspirants and design students who are propelled by their love for fame and fashion. With nothing to lose and lots to gain, they are willing to call out the emperor on his new clothes. They’re breaking the rules of fashion. No topic is off limits, and they’re steadily growing in both popularity and views on social media. They are slaying Bollywood star egos & stylist cliques one reel at a time.
Fashion and celebrity style were once limited to the domain of magazines like Vogue, Elle and even Femina. This changed with the entry of blogs like High Heel Confidential that got page views and clicks until Instagram changed the internet game. Handles like Diet Sabya—inspired by high fashion commentator Diet Prada and Diet Paratha—waded in. But now these pages have to contend with the likes of Motiwala, Manisha Malik, Ira Aggarwal and Rakshit Singh. It’s the Gen Z commentators who are taking fashion beyond the celebrity outfits. While Motiwala relies on his trademark sneer that’s more entertaining than nasty, others, like Aggarwal are educating views on the fashion industry, textiles, and even handicraft.
“I absolutely love the new breed of snarky fashion commentators. They have created their own space and gained a sizeable following. Unfiltered, cheeky and in your face, designers are definitely impacted by their uncut views,” said Shobhaa De.
While the commentators are taking on brands and designers, it is a slippery road too.
“When the invites dry up, these same people will change their tunes. They wanted attention – they got it. What they also want is access and importance — that’s not happening. Sucking up to brands, stars, film folks and designers is the only ticket to the life they crave,” added De.
I absolutely love the new breed of snarky fashion commentators. They have created their own space and gained a sizeable following. Unfiltered, cheeky and in your face, designers are definitely impacted by their uncut views
—Shobhaa De
These influencers and commentators are interrogating fashion, identifying zeitgeists, and packing information in slickly edited reels — all this while hustling with their ‘day jobs’ or collaborating with brands. Even stylists now follow some of these creators to keep up with their hot take on all things fashion.
“The biggest challenge is condensing and packaging all the research in under a minute, and to keep it interesting,” said Manisha Malik, a YouTuber who now lives in Mumbai.
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An eye for detail and history
With 2.63k followers on Instagram, Malik’s transition from a content creator relying on ‘out of the day’ reels to fashion commentator and advisor was serendipitous. She may have started out with dreams of becoming an IAS officer—she prepared for the UPSC—but is now firmly entrenched in the fashion.
“Like many others, I also started out with OOTD reels. It was my husband who suggested that the nuggets I tell him about fashion can become good content,” said Malik. Today, many of her Instagram reels get over a million views. Her reel on the traditional head jewellery, saggi phull, has 11 million views. It begins with a quick Bollywood hook—Parineeti Chopra wearing a saggi phull in Kesari. With this, she quickly moves on to its history and explains how it’s worn by married women in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
Manish Malhotra was the same old tacky bridal collection riding on the coattails of Bollywood to be relevant
Her most watched and requested reel from her followers is the styling secrets of the now iconic movie, Sita Ramam, starring Dulquer Salman and Mrunal Thakur, for its depiction of old-school romance in the form of a period drama. In one popular reel, she explores the sartorial choices of film’s stylist Sheetal Iqbal Sharma, and the reason behind some of the sarees worn by Thakur’s character in the film.
Born in a small village in Rajasthan and growing up in Delhi and Haryana, Malik remembers watching the women around her waving dhurries, stitching and embroidering. Many of her reels are mini-guides to Indian heritage, handicraft and fashion.
If Malik is about educating her viewers, Motiwala is all about snark. He has no qualms critiquing the likes of Manish Malhotra in an affected South Bombay (SoBo) drawl. “Manish Malhotra was the same old tacky bridal collection riding on the coattails of Bollywood to be relevant,” he says in a fashion reel wrap with 1.8 million views.
Both adopt a conversational style even when relaying technical information. Malik has mastered the art of breaking down information without sounding condescending. What they also have in common is the way they package their content. Bright photos, smooth editing and fast-paced, they’re made for people who consume content in bite-sized nuggets. It belies the amount of research that goes into them.
“I used to think my content was too nerdy, no one will watch it. I won’t get the numbers,” said Malik.
Malik decided to also educate herself more about styling, while making her content, to have a better technical grasp on certain aspects, including knowledge of textiles and jewellery. She explores the history of fabrics like Ajrakh and Banarasi, and tips on how to buy original fabric and not be scammed. She has a presence on YouTube with 2.02 lakh subscribers and a blog—all in sync with each other.
Her series of reels titled ‘Bollywood styling secrets’, which is also hugely popular, explores various iconic style moments in films that have remained popular to date. From the leather jacket trend in the 1990s by Salman Khan to the elegant neckwear that Bobby Deol’s character Abrar wore in Animal, she deconstructs how styling adds another dimension to the movie and its characters.
My mom walked in on me watching Fashion TV one day, and there were models in skimpy outfits, and that was the end of Fashion TV for me. But once she realised my interest in fashion, she bought me Vogue magazine for the very first time
—Ira Aggarwal, Delhi-based fashion commentator
Malik, who did a short-term course at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai on styling, credits her UPSC preparation days for her sharp insight, and observational and analytical skills. And there’s also her love for all things old.
“I have always loved everything vintage, so much so that I am the resident family kabadiwala. Anything old, and people hand it over to me,” she says. Her attention to the smallest of details—and turning them into stories—is her USP.
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GEN Z fashion guide
Motiwala has gamed the celebrity fashion commentary gig. His hot takes are more immediate— ‘breaking news’ versions of content creation that relies heavily on trending events be it Ira Khan’s wedding, the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce romance or the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at the Ambanis.
His sharp reviews help brands gain traction on social media and get buyers too. He started out in 2023, with ‘fashion school’ reels, outlining what he was taught as a student. Today, he has around 157K followers on his Instagram handle, @sufimotiwala, is ‘Orry-verified’, is regularly seen hanging out with influencers and red carpet fashion events, and has tied up with platforms like Nykaa and the jewellery brand, Kicky and Perky. He also recently shared being signed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Cornerstone Agency.
He rated his own look at The Archies special screening event, and was also recently roped in by Cosmopolitan to style 12-year-old athlete, Pooja Bishnoi who attended her first-ever awards night.
“I started following him for his tone and his humour when he dissects celeb style,” says Delhi-based fashion commentator, Ira Aggarwal.
At 23, the computer science engineer with Microsoft is still carving out a niche for herself as a fashion commentator on Instagram where she has around 3,900 followers.
“My mom walked in on me watching Fashion TV one day, and there were models in skimpy outfits, and that was the end of Fashion TV for me. But once she realised my interest in fashion, she bought me Vogue magazine for the very first time,” says Aggarwal.
It started 10 years ago, when the first bloggers came out in India, and began writing about fashion. It’s natural that fashion commentators are now becoming popular today
—Rakshit Singh, Instagram influencer with interest in luxury market
Her reels are like an entry point for ‘fashion outsiders’ like herself. When majoring in computer science, she started a fashion society, and is now straddling her job and passion. Her reels on brand strategy fails and how not all Bollywood celebrities know how to walk the ramp, have million views
“I think the most memorable moment in my journey was when model Shimona Surendranath commented on my reel and gave a shoutout,” says Aggarwal.
If the young software engineer is still finding her groove, Rakshit Singh has cornered India’s growing interest in the luxury market. He tells his 34.5K followers how to spot a dupe from an original. Having studied brand management, he acts as a guide navigating brands like Louis Vuitton and Prada.
“I have to just step out into the neighbourhood market to find dupes of sarees worn by Bollywood actors in various movies,” said Singh, who works as a part time designer for Tann-ed, a luxury leather brand.
“I really am not in it for the likes or I would also give in to making certain kinds of content for more engagement. It is something I genuinely enjoy doing, and I want to keep doing that,” says Singh, who wants his followers to make informed choices.
Many of Singh’s reels also focus on handbags carried by celebrities, and the kind of luxury accessories people can ‘invest’ in. His brand spotting series decodes the product placement by brands on celebrities and actors in shows like Kofee With Karan, and Bollywood movies from Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani (2023) to Fighter (2024).
Commentators have to be on top of the game to remain relevant. New entrants like Aggarwal may not be invited to red carpet events and international fashion weeks—not yet—but they are part of an ecosystem ruled by fast consumption of trends.
“I think it started 10 years ago, when the first bloggers came out in India, and started writing about fashion. It’s natural that fashion commentators are now becoming popular today,” says Singh. Unlike ten years ago, the Indian consumer is more aware of trends and brands.
The challenge is the ‘what next’. Fashion can be fickle, and even a critic and influencer can call out of vogue between one trend and the next.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)