(June 7, 2024) Among the numerous top international celebrities who walked the Cannes red carpet this year was an unusual debut by Nancy Tyagi, from Barnawa village in Uttar Pradesh. The 23-year-old turned heads with her self-made pink gown at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, becoming an overnight sensation.
With 2.5 million followers on Instagram, she boasts several brand endorsements and has garnered popularity and appreciation from even the celebrities. The Delhi-based influencer captured hearts after representing India on the global stage at Cannes 2024, showcasing her self-designed and self-stitched outfits.
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“Stepping onto the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival as a debutant feels surreal. I poured my heart and soul into creating this pink gown, which took 30 days, 1,000 meters of fabric, and weighs over 20kg,” Nancy shared with her fans soon after her Cannes debut. “The journey has been intense, but every moment was worth it. I’m overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for the love and support from all of you. This is a dream come true, and I hope my creation dazzles you as much as your support has inspired me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!” she added.
Stumbling into dress designing
Nancy had never imagined her life would turn into such a fairy tale when she decided to move to New Delhi from her hometown with the goal of clearing the UPSC exams. While moving from her small town of Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi, all her relatives and neighbours told her parents that the money they were investing in her coaching could be better used to marry her off. However, her parents did not pay heed to such advice. Nancy’s mother and younger brother joined her, while her father stayed back to take care of their cab service business.
Life took an unexpected turn, when the lockdown interrupted her UPSC preparations, and the savings meant for her education started getting used up for everyday expenditures. Her father had given the family three lakh rupees for studies and rent, and was in no position to send more with his business being affected by the lockdown at the time. Her mother found a job in a factory, which was exhausting. Every evening, when she would return home covered in coal dust, Nancy’s heart would break.
The arts graduate and her brother even worked at a call centre for a month and left the job when they were not paid any salary. However, the unpleasant circumstances opened a new door, one that led to her true passion – dress designing. Despite lacking formal training or a fashion degree, Nancy began creating outfits from scratch using an old sewing machine that was gifted to her mother at the time of her wedding.
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“When we had just about a lakh of savings left, I decided to quickly buy a camera and start making videos and reels for Instagram to showcase my talent in dress designing. I thought that even if my plan didn’t work out, I would have no regrets about not trying.”
Inspired by influencers, she wore her dresses to showcase the designs while her brother directed and shot her videos. They hoped their content creation endeavour would be successful someday, leading to brand deals and earning opportunities, so that they could give their mother a break from her unhappy job.
Getting success – an uphill task
For one year, they struggled to increase their views, which remained in the mere hundreds. Nancy decided to try something different and started adding dance elements to her videos, even though she didn’t know much about dancing.
To increase her following, she began recreating dresses of celebrities and influencers using clothes bought from local shops. Through trial and error, she crafted elaborate outfits inspired by icons like Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and many others. “I have never learned stitching,” she says. “When I was a child, I used to stitch my dolls’ clothes. I had bags full of clothes for my dolls. Using the same steps I started stitching my own clothes.”
She modelled the outfits herself and danced to Bollywood numbers to make the videos interesting. People initially found her content weird and started making memes. She faced harsh trolls and body shaming. Relatives called to scold her, saying, “Look what you have done. People are making fun of you.”
Nancy Tyagi
Undeterred, Nancy continued. Gradually, her follower count started increasing as she and her brother got into the groove of content creation. Once she started gaining popularity, people stopped body shaming her and calling her “skinny,” and began appreciating her designs. “Complaining relatives stopped calling. Now I call them to share my success,” she said in an interview.
“Earlier, I didn’t have the money to purchase a better sewing machine, but now I have got used to using it for two to three years. Even though I have the money now, I don’t think I need to buy a new one immediately,” she said. However, she made some purchases with her own money – something she couldn’t have imagined a few years ago – such as an iPhone.
The Cannes charisma
Brut India, a fast-growing digital video publisher, took notice of the rising star and promoted her talent by sharing her story with their audience. They even gave her a life-changing chance to be part of the Brut India Squad at Cannes.
Due to visa issues, her brother’s plans to fly to Cannes were stalled at the last moment. It was the first time she was on a professional venture without her brother Manu. However, managing well without him gave her confidence that she could handle things on her own. “I had not gone anywhere without Manu but went straight to France without him,” she smiled.
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Flying abroad to one of the fashion world’s most prestigious events to showcase her couture, and that too on a business class ticket, has been an unbelievable experience that has filled Nancy with new energy. “Now I don’t want to copy or recreate. It will be my designs only,” said the designer upon her return. Many people including fashion icon Sonam Kapoor have asked her to design something for her. Nancy is more than happy.
Nancy Tyagi’s journey from Barnawa to the Cannes red carpet epitomises the power of passion, determination, and resilience. Despite financial struggles, societal pressures, and harsh criticism, she transformed her dreams into reality through courage and creativity. Her success as a self-taught fashion designer, and journey to the global stage, highlights that with the courage to follow one’s passions and the resilience to overcome challenges, anything is achievable. Nancy’s story inspires to remain focussed on one’s dreams and steadfast in the face of adversity. Her story proves that true dedication can lead to extraordinary accomplishments.
- Follow Nancy Tyagi on Instagram
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