For decades, a host of celebrities from across the globe have put their best fashionable foot forward as they hit the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival. Set against the backdrop of the glamorous French Riviera, the prestigious event sees models and movie stars from around the world trying stand out from the crowd with their looks.
With the rise of social media in the past few years, there is a new breed of celebrity that are making waves at the festival. They are the internet influencers who are no less than stars on the red carpet. Among them is Masoom Minawala, who has been a pioneer in India as a fashion and lifestyle influencer.
One of the first creators from India to have walked the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival, Minawala had her third outing this year where she aced a head-to-toe Maison Valentino look for her Cannes appearance. Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, she wore a hot pink mini dress teamed with matching tights and block heels, keeping it chic and experimental.
Minawala, who has 1.48 million followers on Instagram, talks exclusively to News18.com about her Cannes experience, the joy of representing Indian fashion globally and how influencers are gaining a lot of popularity at such a prestigious event.
This is your third time at Cannes. How would you describe your association with the gala event?
My association with Cannes has always been very special; my aim has been to represent my country in whatever capacity possible. It’s so great to see that over the years, the Indian film industry has scaled so much that it’s being celebrated as the country of honour (at Marche du Film). I still remember the first time I walked the red carpet for Cannes, it was like a dream that I’d never dared to dream. That being said, it was magnificent and overwhelming in equal parts. I saw two months’ worth of hard work fly by in less than 200 seconds. Now that I’ve attended the event for the third time in a row, I’m more comfortable and aware of the entire process and this time I’ve managed to fly down my team to assist me in the process.
You are styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania for the red carpet. How does the ensemble reflect you as a person?
Honestly, I am somebody who absolutely loves experimenting with the parameters of my personal style and Anaita has got a timeless charm to her stylist wand. So, the ensemble that we’ve put together by Yousef Akbar and Swarovski is a concoction of both of our high spirits.
How has been the experience this year? Did you get a chance to interact and mingle around with people who you look up to?
Cannes Film Festival is a great place to network with people from the media industry and honestly, getting to meet new people from the creators industry or the cinematic world is always a cultural delight.
Walking at the world’s biggest cinematic extravaganza and a global fashion event, Festival De Cannes, comes with its fair share of fun and responsibility. How do you straddle both and what does this opportunity mean to you?
It’s not easy to single-handedly juggle the close knit deadlines and the work pressure, especially when a fun-filled event like the Cannes is a work trip. For two years, with my team back in India, I was barely keeping the quality of my work afloat and it was taking a toll on my content. I was navigating my way through the red carpet and the responsibilities that came with it. This year has, however, been a personal and professional milestone for me. I have invested in flying my team from India to Cannes.
Until a few years ago, red carpet appearances were restricted to movie stars, but we see a lot of influencers making their mark. What do you attribute this change to?
I think that this change can be linked to paradigm shift in the need to be more inclusive. Because of the realms of social media, audiences want people who they can instantly relate to, they desire candidness and a sense of community more than anything, the global influencer industry is just striving to achieve that.
With content creators and fashion entrepreneurs now being invited to grace the Cannes Film Festival, how do you think the perception about the digital economy has changed now?
It is definitely a step ahead for the creator’s economy. It’s very refreshing to greet A-listers and influencers from across the globe that are united by being ambassadors for the brands we are representing.
What has been the most memorable moment for you at the Cannes?
Definitely has to be representing the rich cultural heritage of a saree on the red carpet but defiantly with a contemporary twist.
What are the top five beauty trends from the Cannes 2022 red carpet that caught your eye?
I’m personally gushing over skincare infused makeup, the magic of glass skin and I also loved how embellishments were used as hair accessories.
