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In our Indo Western fashion community, we celebrate bold and inspiring individuals. That is why, in our Let’s Talk Indo Western interviews, we speak with them about Indo Western fashion, personal growth, and their fashion journeys. Our goal is to meet and connect with exciting new people, find inspiration, and grow together as a community.
We spoke with Arpana Moorjani — a stylist and content creator who inspires almost 60,000 people on Instagram (@bragyourstyle) with her fashion and styling content. In our interview, Arpana reveals how one life-changing moment transformed her lifelong passion for fashion into her purpose, what challenges she faces as a micro-content creator, and why she believes it’s incredible that Indo Western fashion is finally getting the global attention it deserves.
STYLØR: Since our community is all about Indo Western fashion, we are so curious to know, have you ever heard of Indo Western fashion prior to this interview?
Arpana Moorjani: Yes. Since I’m from Chennai, a city in South India, my Indian culture and roots are such an integral part of me. Correspondingly, Indo Western fashion plays a pivotal role in my life as well, influencing both my personal style and my work as a content creator. For me, fusing Indian and Western fashion feels very special. It allows me to show the world what the Indian fashion industry has to offer and how wearable Indo Western pieces are, especially in the Western world.
STYLØR: Indo Western fashion is becoming increasingly popular around the world. How do you view this development?
Arpana Moorjani: I absolutely love this development. It’s so amazing to see that Indian fashion finally gets the attention it deserves. Indian fashion isn’t just traditional garments like sarees or lehengas. There’s so much to it, from the embroideries, fabrics, and cuts to how it can be incorporated into Western culture. We’re definitely moving in the right direction and it’s nice to see the world finally celebrating Indian fashion.
STYLØR: Do you wear Indo Western fashion?
Arpana Moorjani: Yes. I always try to incorporate Indo Western fashion or jewelry into my outfits whenever I can. A time that revealed the power and uniqueness of Indo Western fashion to me was when we were stuck at home in 2020. One day, I went through my closet and discovered so many stunning Indian garments, some not even worn. Consequently, I pulled out every single piece from my Indian collection and tried to understand how to style and wear it in a Western way. For example, I experimented with combining a lehenga with Western jewelry or pairing Indian jewelry with Western clothes. Honestly, I did it all. That was the moment when I realized what you can do with Indo Western fashion. I shared every single look on Instagram, and it was nice to see that there’s an audience who started appreciating that.
STYLØR: After exploring our community, were there any Indo Western brands on our website that stood out to you?
Arpana Moorjani: Obviously, I love Manish Malhotra. I also have a long history with Papa Don’t Preach. In fact, I wore a Papa Don’t Preach outfit to my brother’s wedding when Shubhika Sharma, the founder of Papa Don’t Preach, was just an upcoming designer. I still have this look in my closet. Moreover, a brand that I didn’t know but which really caught my eye is Jajaabor. They have very interesting and fun silhouettes.
Overall, I really like your selection of Indo Western brands on your website. Whether it’s high-end designers or more accessible brands, there’s something for everyone.
STYLØR: We would love to learn more about you as a person. Imagine someone meets you for the first time. How would you introduce yourself?
Arpana Moorjani: Frankly speaking, I don’t like to make a big deal of what I’m doing because I’m just following my passion. So when someone meets me for the first time, I’ll just say I’m a content creator and a stylist. That’s how I introduce myself. Then people usually start asking me immediately about something I’m wearing, look through my Instagram channel, and connect with me there. On the contrary, I hate to call myself a fashion influencer. That’s what I technically am. Yet, it feels odd to me to use those words because I started my journey as a stylist and a personal shopper first before I went into full-time content creation.
STYLØR: Can you tell us more about your childhood and how you grew up?
Arpana Moorjani: Yes, sure. I was born and brought up in Chennai, South India. My family had a retail store in the fashion industry. Moreover, my mum made clothes for friends and clients. Hence, growing up, I always saw the behind-the-scenes of creating fashion, such as designing, tailoring, and hand-embroidering. Since I’ve loved fashion for as long as I can remember, seeing all of this up close and learning from it was incredibly exciting for me. However, although I’d have loved to become a fashion designer, I somehow never got a fashion degree. Instead, I graduated with a banking degree, which I never really used.
Fast forward, I moved to the U.S., where I was mostly occupied with helping with the family business or caring for my family. Yet, at a certain point in my life, I had some time to think about what I wanted to do. Back then, people started telling me, “Why don’t you do something with your fashion skills? You’re so passionate about fashion, and you have an incredible knowledge of putting things together.” Correspondingly, I decided to start working as a personal shopper and stylist eight years ago. I knew I’d love styling people and shopping for them. Then, I experienced a moment that would change my life forever.
STYLØR: Can you tell us more about this life-changing moment?
Arpana Moorjani: Well, in 2020, right after becoming a content creator, my husband surprised me with a trip to my first Paris Fashion Week. While I was there, I attended many exciting shows by incredible designers and fashion brands.
However, a particular show changed my life. One day, I attended the show by Vivienne Westwood. The show was held at the fabulous Hôtel de Ville, and I sat in the first row. I watched all the incredible models walk down the runway, including Bella Hadid. I also saw Vivienne Westwood herself. In that moment, my heart was pounding, and I felt completely alive. It was more than just watching a show. It was a revelation. I knew right then and there that this is where I wanted to be. This is what I want to do with my life. This is where I belong. This is me.
Since that show, I haven’t stopped as a content creator. That moment revealed a new perspective and truly changed my life. Even now, when I talk about it, I can still feel the same excitement I felt in that very moment.
STYLØR: When you look back, what do you consider to be your greatest success in life so far?
Arpana Moorjani: My greatest success has been finding a way to build my life around my biggest passion. For me, fashion is more than just putting two pieces together. It’s about understanding how I can make an impact and difference.
Nowadays, everybody’s getting dressed. Everybody looks great. Everybody can shop for anything. So I wanted to see what I could contribute. The dedication that goes into it is more than just a profession for me. It’s who I am.
STYLØR: As you mentioned, fashion has played a pivotal role throughout your life. What is your earliest memory of fashion?
Arpana Moorjani: Wow, I like this question. My earliest memory of fashion definitely goes back to when I was in fourth grade. One day, I saw this hot pink backpack that I absolutely had to have. So when I got it and walked through the school with this fashionable piece, I felt like the coolest person ever.
Later, I started experimenting with other fashion pieces as well as my hair. I’d always try out new haircuts since I was a kid who wanted to have fun and was naturally attracted to what was eye-catching and new. For example, I remember my mum helping me make butterfly wings for my friend’s themed birthday party. The costume looked so cool.
STYLØR: When you were growing up, who or what influenced your personal fashion style?
Arpana Moorjani: First of all, my aunt. She was extremely fashionable, and I was very influenced by seeing her get dressed. Furthermore, I’d say seeing all the celebrities and shows from Bollywood influenced my fashion style as well. In fact, Bollywood was and is such a big part of fashion. And finally, watching runway shows or reading fashion magazines inspired me.
The latter was especially impactful. Back in the day, foreign goods weren’t very accessible in India. You either had to travel abroad or visit the two shops that sold such items. Hence, any new magazine was the biggest highlight for us. Unsurprisingly, as a child, I always gravitated toward wanting things that weren’t available locally.
Yet, I think this development led to a situation where we weren’t really grateful for what we had in our own country. We were mostly focused on foreign goods. However, I feel that this has changed as more and more Indians start to discover what local Indian companies and brands have to offer.
STYLØR: Where do you find fashion inspiration?
Arpana Moorjani: You won’t believe it, but I don’t really look to other people for inspiration. Of course, we all see what Indian and Western designers do and the beautiful things they create. Yet, whenever I’m putting together a new look, it comes from within me. It might take some time, but that’s where I find fashion inspiration.
STYLØR: Over the years, you have built a successful community on Instagram. When we last checked, you had almost 60,000 followers. So we are curious to learn, what inspired you to start posting content on social media?
Arpana Moorjani: When I was a stylist and personal shopper, I kind of felt like something was missing, yet I didn’t know what it was at the time. Then I took a break and went on Instagram to post some of my looks. After getting great responses, I started realizing that this is what I want to do. Instagram gave me the possibility to express my fashion sense as well as my skills as a stylist and creative.
STYLØR: You are a micro-content creator. Do you see that as a benefit or a challenge?
Arpana Moorjani: I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing brands, however it’s definitely a huge challenge because it’s not easy to get brands to work with you. We don’t get responses because so many brands are focused on influencers with millions of followers. Very often, they think only these influencers are good for their brand. But that’s not true.
And the worst part is that very often, brands don’t want to pay us. They want these professional quality images and videos simply for free. Brands might offer a gifted collaboration or a loan. But who pays for all the costs? I have to invest a lot of my personal time and resources to create the content. In some cases, it includes hiring a professional photographer, MUA, hair stylist, etc.
At the end of the day, these brands need us. So something needs to change.
STYLØR: What are your next goals?
Arpana Moorjani: I definitely want to work towards raising more awareness for the challenges of micro-content creators. This topic has been on my mind for a very long time. Regardless of whether you’re a beauty creator or a fashion creator, I want to do something about it. An example could be building a community to raise awareness or reach brands. Besides this goal, I’d also love to explore the idea of becoming an entrepreneur in the future. I have many ideas in mind.
