Becoming His Own Role Model: Elton John
Elton wearing I.AM.ISIGO pants, NBxBhavya Ramesh hair bobbies, Kichu stud, Elpinn waist chain(as choker) and Ayesha Sureya rings
Elton John is a fashion designer and stylist by profession but wears many other hats just by way of passion - hair and makeup artist, dancer, choreographer, model et al. But none of these hats were just handed to him, it took years of working tirelessly through first, a conservative society and then of course, the hard work it takes to learn a new skill. Despite all of that, Elton has only come out of the other end, more talented and much stronger than ever before.
His childhood in Kerala has been pivotal in shaping his destiny in many ways. When other boys his age were playing cricket, he was either dancing while watching women in sarees on TV or collecting shiny stones or sequins that he found lying around. “I’d mostly observe how women were dressed at church or on beaches and admire them,” he begins telling me. He instantly knew he had an affinity for saris - teaching himself how to drape, inspired by the myriads of actresses he saw, using safety pins to hold the fabric up.
He goes on to share the heartwarming story of when he was 4 and wreaking havoc on every cloth lying in the back of his wardrobe. “My mother saw me cutting up all the curtains, bedsheets, blankets and gave up her old saris to save them. I really love her for that because I may have ruined a lot of her clothes in the process, but I make sure to pay her back in gorgeous saris now,” he laughs. The same went with her pedal sewing machine - his unceasing curiosity and her concern for him came to a happy compromise with him learning without a needle and belt attached before graduating to the big guns.
Even his love for makeup, hair and styling started with his mother. When she would take her afternoon naps, Elton could be found braiding her luscious, long hair. “My mother is a very simple woman so she owned some kajal, mascara and talcum powder in the form of makeup, that’s all. And that’s what I would play around with all day before I started school,” he tells me.
Elton wearing 1980s Sunny Chayes vintage jacket, Curious Grid pants and rings by Ayesha Sureya and Kichu
But his conservative school wasn’t as welcoming of his experience - “I was bullied for my colour, for my identity, everything. Even teachers would walk up to me and mockingly tell me to wear nail polish to school, I was treated very differently. I barely had any friends either, it felt suffocating to go there everyday.” This led him to join a lot of extra-curricular activities including learning some Bharatnatyam and Kathakali because the stage made him feel seen when his peers and teachers did not.
He comes back to how supportive his parents were for him to leave his hometown where he didn’t feel appreciated and move to a bigger city - Bangalore. “They had different dreams for me, first they had wanted me to pursue Kathakali as a profession, then my dad had wanted me to go into the army - but when they saw how enamoured I was by fashion, they themselves wanted me to leave town and pursue it,” he says and adds, “My father never saw me grow up because he was working in the UAE for us, but when he learnt I was into makeup he would pick out eyeshadow palettes and send them to me. In fact, a lot of the makeup I use now is from him.” He explains how lucky he has been to have parents so supportive of his identity, his way of expressing it in how he dresses and of the implicit knowledge of him being out and proud, because he has seen other friends not have the same luxury.
Elton wearing Amesh shirt
Shifting to Bangalore also brought a great shift to his life in many ways. He gained friendships, his fashion journey transformed completely, he learnt many new forms of dance including whacking and his personality too had a chance to flourish. “Life completely changed, I met some beautiful people, creative people who were out and inspired me a lot. I discovered No Borders here, that helped me realise that you can bring modernity into Indian textiles, because before that I was confused about what my niche was. It changed the way Indian beauty is represented or defined for me.”
He had many eventful years at college where he was truly taken in by everyone, seniors would pay him to distress his jeans, teachers loved how involved he was in assignments, his room would be filled with people who wanted him to do his makeup - a complete 180 of his life in Kerala. “It was like the backstage humdrum I came to love at dance competitions, the rush of everyone trying to get ready with their makeup, hair and costumes. It would be a complete mess and everyone would be calling out my name, and I’d still happily do it all day and night!” His passion for all things creative shows in this very moment.
Elton wearing 1980s Sunny Chayes vintage jacket, Curious Grid pants and rings by Ayesha Sureya and Kichu
When asked who or what inspires him, he takes a moment to really think, “I’ve had many favourite designers and artists but never any role models. My inspiration comes from dance, art and culture rather than a person. I want to know the people I style and what they have been through, to take their opinion and help it form what their style is. It’s like finding someone within themselves and presenting it to them.”
Elton wearing 1980s Sunny Chayes vintage jacket and rings by Ayesha Sureya and Kichu
Creating a dance video with him and choreographer Siri Gowri for our No Borders Instagram was born out of seeing his vibrant personality and dance skills in action. Some spur-of-the-moment action ensued and aspiring movement artist Siri had a whacking and classical dance routine planned to the Taal title track. “My inspirations come from my training in street styles like hip-hop but also kathak. For this dance, we decided to trust the process and just go with the flow. Elton and I have a mutual understanding and I know how his body moves, so it came easy,” she begins to tell us and goes on to say, “We mixed his admiration of whacking with his classical dancing, and I kept the movement of the clothes in mind while I edited and directed the video.” To watch them two work together for hours on end, without tiring, enjoying every bit of the work and see the resulting video was pure magic, to say the least. You can watch the full dance video here .
When asked of his plans for the future, Elton says he wants to be able to have his own line of clothing - “I’m very particular that when I do work on it I want it to be viable but also sustainable because the amount of pollution caused by fashion scares me. But right now, I’m enjoying a lot of other things,” he leaves us with a smile. Knowing him, he will probably add to his roster of skills before this article is up and we cannot wait to find out what’s next for this talent.
(Shop all pieces in the pictures at nobordersshop.com)