Episode #27
FASHION WAS TABOO IN INDIA: Suresh Menon On Fashion's Dark Reality, Makeup Classes & Pay Delays|FF28
In this episode of Figuring Fashion Podcast, Host Arvind Karthik sits down with Suresh Menon who is a fashion designer and makeup artist whose career has evolved across two creative worlds — fashion and beauty. In this episode, they spoke about building a career when fashion wasn’t mainstream, working with MAC, finding clients, collaborations, makeup masterclasses, fashion business and the realities of surviving as a creative professional. ✨ ️ What You’ll Discover in This Episode: Makeup Artist Career & MAC Experience – Working at MAC, artist training, selling makeup vs practising makeup & how professional MUAs are trained. Entering Fashion Designing – How Suresh Menon entered fashion when it wasn’t mainstream, early industry experiences & the importance of no gatekeeping. Getting Your First Clients – Building an initial client base through word of mouth, relationships & consistent creative work. Makeup Masterclasses – The rise of makeup masterclasses, teaching makeup, pros & cons & the business strategy behind workshops. ✨ Evolution of Makeup – How makeup has become more technical, minimal and skin-like compared to earlier trends. Art vs Commercial Fashion – Balancing a designer’s artistic vision with what customers and the fashion market actually want. Suresh Menon’s Personal Style – Favourite brands, fashion budget, personal wardrobe choices & what international clients expect from designers. Fashion Photoshoots & Collaborations – Collaboration culture then vs now, frequent creative shoots & working with photographers, models and other artists. Mental Health in Creative Careers – Why fashion can be unforgiving and why designers and artists shouldn’t attach self-worth to their work. ✂️ Fashion Customisation & Client Expectations – Handling customised outfits, difficult feedback & what happens when a client doesn’t like the final design. Chennai Fashion Industry – Chennai fashion vs North India, opportunities, limitations & how the South Indian fashion scene has evolved. Suresh Menon’s Journey & Fashion TV – His background, experiences with Fashion TV & building a long-term career across fashion and makeup. Payments in the Creative Industry – Payment schedules, money conversations & financial realities for fashion designers, makeup artists and creatives. ✨ If you want to become a fashion designer, makeup artist or build a career in the fashion industry , this episode gives you an honest look at the creativity, business, collaborations and mindset required to sustain an artistic career. Timecodes (00:00) Intro (03:08) Makeup Masterclasses Are Lying To You (07:29) Makeup Artists Gossip (10:00) Fashion Was Not Cool In Chennai Back Then (12:10) Fashion TV Was Treated Like Porn ! (14:45) Working With Sidney Sladen (17:31) Is There Gatekeeping In Fashion ? (21:28) Making Clothes Nobody Is Going To Buy (23:28) Did Consistent Photoshoots help him? (29:51) Working With Venkat Ram (36:58) Artists Face This Payment Issue (41:18) Difficult Clients & Failed Collections (47:35) End Of Podcast
