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We all want to look like rock stars. Cliché, yes; the truth, hell yeah! Let’s face it: their suave
styles and cutting edge threads inspire the masses to run to the nearest boutique, or in the
case of most, nearest mall to get the looks. Once upon a time, a rock star’s fashion sense was
thought to be their own magical creation, but now we are wise to the truth. Music stars look the
way they do thanks to a massive effort by their stylists. So who are these men and women that
work out of the spotlight in an almost thankless job to make our favorite musicians rock their
styles?
And, what defines a good stylist? Is it the size of their paychecks or the ability to bring out their
individual client’s personality through the designs they drape on each of them? The obvious
answer is they pick out some hot new look and runaway with it. If you haven’t noticed it almost
seems as if most stars are clones of each other. We must give kudos to those who rise above
the rest because they have a brilliant look of the season. Yet, the more unknown stylists who
seem to have broadened their repertoire cannot be overlooked simply because they work hard
not to create replicas. Meet Luminary.
Gemma Swan and Neesha Sharma are the powerhouse duo rising out of London. In their
collaboration they have worked with artists such as 50 Scent, Good Charlotte, Justin Hawkins
of the Darkness, Amerie, Jamelia, Javine, Lemar, Mr. Hudson & the Library, Rouge and Mr.
Vegas. Their brilliant metallic leather creations were featured in the London Fashion Week at
Scott Henshall. Each coming from different backgrounds, Gemma from the world of high
fashion, and Neesha from the music industry, they are the best of both worlds personified.
Gemma elaborates, “We think this gives us the edge in the fashion and music industries as
they merge ever closer!”
Gemma comes from Kent, a small town not too far out of London. When she speaks about her
home town she recalls a childhood where she was the creative outsider, “Kent is a million
miles away in mentality from London! Although I had a few really good friends from there, the
majority of "the locals" were white trash narrow-minded people, and a little bit in-bred, who all
look and dress the same. Most of the people there are not very aspiring, they are not taught by
their parents or in school to dream big or follow their dreams. They don’t aim for much. My
parents were the complete opposite and taught me that I could do anything I wanted to do! I
never really fit in because of my style and my attitude!”
She started making clothes and customizing when at the young age of twelve. “I knew I would
be a fashion designer at the age of fourteen,” she says proudly. She went on to study at the
London College of Fashion until 2002. From there she went on to assist artist and couture
designer Edward Griffiths working in so many different mediums from sculpture to jewelry,
leather work and couture clothing. Some of the clients she worked for during this time include
Julien Macdonald, Fendi, Ungaro and Kylie Minogue.
Neesha, grew up in a North London suburb and attended a private school in Hertfortshire. “I
was both academic & creative, and I was pretty confused about what path in life I wanted to
follow. I had a fascination with Italian style, but after watching Wall Street I was inspired by the
Gordon Gecko character and wanted to be a trader in the city.”
But life had a much different plan for Neesha, “I had a lot of drama in my family and I was forced
to leave my school and attend a local school.” A nagging calling that would not fade came
beckoning once more, Neesha remembers, “ I was well known for how I dressed, and fashion
and styling just kept calling, then I made the decision to study at London College of Fashion"
After college she moved on to working in promotions and music marketing specializing in hip
hop and reggae. “It was a natural progression,” she states when she speaks of her move into
becoming a stylist. Neesha worked with artists Big Pun, Rza, Jungle Brothers, Red Rat, and Mr.
Vegas.
Gemma and Neesha came together in London at the MOBO Awards where Gemma was
working with Lil Kim and Neesha with UK artist Lemar where they built instant rapport. Quickly
realizing they shared vision and common goals the two began collaborations on styling and
design projects.
Since then not only have they worked with various artists around the world and were featured in
Fashion Week, but they have also designed a limited edition t-shirt line which sold out at
London’s largest hip-hop record store called Deal Real. They also design one-offs for the red
carpet, made to order, and built of vintage fabrics so they are virtually impossible to reproduce.
They were the stylists for the European ad campaign of Tiret, Damon Dash’ watch collection out
of New York City. Gemma muses, “People come to us when they want something different,
something a little out there!”
But all of this is, Gemma says, “not always as glamorous as people think! Yes there have been
times when we’ve worked with big budget artists and done our prepping in a Bentley! But, really
it’s not like that every day!” There is a laborious side to this business such as long work days,
and as Gemma points out, “Always carrying big bags and suitcases breaking our backs and
arms!!! It is physically demanding!!”
Despite the pitfalls the duo love what they do for a living and have come across some
remarkable people including some that were more unforgettable than anything else. “When
working with artists its good to build a rapport with a client, get to know them and their style, but
one particular American rapper (fat and unattractive) got the wrong impression and decided he
liked me. He started pursuing me on my blackberry saying shit like he wanted to marry me! He
was a cool guy but it was purely professional,” recalls Gemma. Neesha laughs and adds, “We
both used to assist the same stylist, and to be fair she was a disaster area! We were always so
confused about how she even got work, cause we were forever covering for her! She would get
drunk on the free wine, forget the shoes, and leave bags at home. And then we would hide
items that we didn’t like that she chose, because she would pull the worst items ever! There
was this one Tommy Hilfiger top that still gives us the chills!”
With an already impressive resume the Luminaries have even a more bright future planned.
“We’re not sure if the world is actually ready,” states Gemma when speaking of their new
collaboration with Trapstar, a sizzling new clothing label out of London, “We will be designing an
exclusive girls’ range for them, its gonna be so hot! Some t-shirts and some one-off very limited
pieces will also be in the works.” They will also be designing a second limited edition t-shirt
line coming later this year. And, of course, the two plan on working on some one-offs for the red
carpet, and dressing the stars for whatever event.
With their diverse background and their growing arsenal of star power Luminary is bound to
become a beacon of light in the styling industry.
styles and cutting edge threads inspire the masses to run to the nearest boutique, or in the
case of most, nearest mall to get the looks. Once upon a time, a rock star’s fashion sense was
thought to be their own magical creation, but now we are wise to the truth. Music stars look the
way they do thanks to a massive effort by their stylists. So who are these men and women that
work out of the spotlight in an almost thankless job to make our favorite musicians rock their
styles?
And, what defines a good stylist? Is it the size of their paychecks or the ability to bring out their
individual client’s personality through the designs they drape on each of them? The obvious
answer is they pick out some hot new look and runaway with it. If you haven’t noticed it almost
seems as if most stars are clones of each other. We must give kudos to those who rise above
the rest because they have a brilliant look of the season. Yet, the more unknown stylists who
seem to have broadened their repertoire cannot be overlooked simply because they work hard
not to create replicas. Meet Luminary.
Gemma Swan and Neesha Sharma are the powerhouse duo rising out of London. In their
collaboration they have worked with artists such as 50 Scent, Good Charlotte, Justin Hawkins
of the Darkness, Amerie, Jamelia, Javine, Lemar, Mr. Hudson & the Library, Rouge and Mr.
Vegas. Their brilliant metallic leather creations were featured in the London Fashion Week at
Scott Henshall. Each coming from different backgrounds, Gemma from the world of high
fashion, and Neesha from the music industry, they are the best of both worlds personified.
Gemma elaborates, “We think this gives us the edge in the fashion and music industries as
they merge ever closer!”
Gemma comes from Kent, a small town not too far out of London. When she speaks about her
home town she recalls a childhood where she was the creative outsider, “Kent is a million
miles away in mentality from London! Although I had a few really good friends from there, the
majority of "the locals" were white trash narrow-minded people, and a little bit in-bred, who all
look and dress the same. Most of the people there are not very aspiring, they are not taught by
their parents or in school to dream big or follow their dreams. They don’t aim for much. My
parents were the complete opposite and taught me that I could do anything I wanted to do! I
never really fit in because of my style and my attitude!”
She started making clothes and customizing when at the young age of twelve. “I knew I would
be a fashion designer at the age of fourteen,” she says proudly. She went on to study at the
London College of Fashion until 2002. From there she went on to assist artist and couture
designer Edward Griffiths working in so many different mediums from sculpture to jewelry,
leather work and couture clothing. Some of the clients she worked for during this time include
Julien Macdonald, Fendi, Ungaro and Kylie Minogue.
Neesha, grew up in a North London suburb and attended a private school in Hertfortshire. “I
was both academic & creative, and I was pretty confused about what path in life I wanted to
follow. I had a fascination with Italian style, but after watching Wall Street I was inspired by the
Gordon Gecko character and wanted to be a trader in the city.”
But life had a much different plan for Neesha, “I had a lot of drama in my family and I was forced
to leave my school and attend a local school.” A nagging calling that would not fade came
beckoning once more, Neesha remembers, “ I was well known for how I dressed, and fashion
and styling just kept calling, then I made the decision to study at London College of Fashion"
After college she moved on to working in promotions and music marketing specializing in hip
hop and reggae. “It was a natural progression,” she states when she speaks of her move into
becoming a stylist. Neesha worked with artists Big Pun, Rza, Jungle Brothers, Red Rat, and Mr.
Vegas.
Gemma and Neesha came together in London at the MOBO Awards where Gemma was
working with Lil Kim and Neesha with UK artist Lemar where they built instant rapport. Quickly
realizing they shared vision and common goals the two began collaborations on styling and
design projects.
Since then not only have they worked with various artists around the world and were featured in
Fashion Week, but they have also designed a limited edition t-shirt line which sold out at
London’s largest hip-hop record store called Deal Real. They also design one-offs for the red
carpet, made to order, and built of vintage fabrics so they are virtually impossible to reproduce.
They were the stylists for the European ad campaign of Tiret, Damon Dash’ watch collection out
of New York City. Gemma muses, “People come to us when they want something different,
something a little out there!”
But all of this is, Gemma says, “not always as glamorous as people think! Yes there have been
times when we’ve worked with big budget artists and done our prepping in a Bentley! But, really
it’s not like that every day!” There is a laborious side to this business such as long work days,
and as Gemma points out, “Always carrying big bags and suitcases breaking our backs and
arms!!! It is physically demanding!!”
Despite the pitfalls the duo love what they do for a living and have come across some
remarkable people including some that were more unforgettable than anything else. “When
working with artists its good to build a rapport with a client, get to know them and their style, but
one particular American rapper (fat and unattractive) got the wrong impression and decided he
liked me. He started pursuing me on my blackberry saying shit like he wanted to marry me! He
was a cool guy but it was purely professional,” recalls Gemma. Neesha laughs and adds, “We
both used to assist the same stylist, and to be fair she was a disaster area! We were always so
confused about how she even got work, cause we were forever covering for her! She would get
drunk on the free wine, forget the shoes, and leave bags at home. And then we would hide
items that we didn’t like that she chose, because she would pull the worst items ever! There
was this one Tommy Hilfiger top that still gives us the chills!”
With an already impressive resume the Luminaries have even a more bright future planned.
“We’re not sure if the world is actually ready,” states Gemma when speaking of their new
collaboration with Trapstar, a sizzling new clothing label out of London, “We will be designing an
exclusive girls’ range for them, its gonna be so hot! Some t-shirts and some one-off very limited
pieces will also be in the works.” They will also be designing a second limited edition t-shirt
line coming later this year. And, of course, the two plan on working on some one-offs for the red
carpet, and dressing the stars for whatever event.
With their diverse background and their growing arsenal of star power Luminary is bound to
become a beacon of light in the styling industry.
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