Ten years ago, the thought of a young guy representing the ‘makeup artiste’ label and the fashion industry was essentially unheard of. But fast forward to 2019 and we now have a local yet celebrated name that comes to our mind — Suresh Menon.
An apparel brand owner; a fashion designer; a MAC make-up artiste; a celebrity stylist from the South; an admirable human being and so much more — Suresh is well known for many reasons. Here’s deep diving into how he got started, how he handles the industry pressure, and how he creates his masterpieces.
A Malayali by birth but a typical Chennai boy by heart, Suresh knew art was his calling from a very young age. His friends and family often found elaborate sketches on the last few pages of his notebooks while he was studying at the Rajah Muthiah Higher Secondary School, Chennai. As a child he was notoriously famous for painting walls, draping clothes on dolls and stitching small handbags for them. The iconic FTV was the only exposure to the fashion industry he could get at that age. He aspired to take a professional course in fashion from NIFT but unfortunately couldn’t afford it. Apart from his career interests, he identified himself as ‘different’ from a very young age and most of all, stood by his convictions even though he faced backlash from his peers.
However, none of this stopped him from climbing in his career. He started interning and signing-on projects — from his neighbour’s first communion dress to several other such small projects that gave him the confidence he much required. He soon began working professionally and his first job was at a Levis retail outlet as a store manager. He then moved to a Jack & Jones outlet for two years and in his early 20’s decided to take up a job at a MAC make-up retail store. Suresh unexpectedly entered the make-up industry after he agreed to be the make-up artiste for a photoshoot.
Since then, he’s grown to become a make-up artiste that most celebrities from Chennai adore, even while his expertise with fabric has enabled him to create collections that have found cult status among fashion critiques and customers. “I’m interested in telling stories through my clothes — and I want my customers to feel like they can be a part of that,” he says. Suresh Menon couture reflects his personality. His designs, much like himself, are quite dramatic. He’s created an identity of his own and the uniqueness of his designs is quite evident with every piece of clothing. Bullied as a child, he grew up a sensitive man. From then on, he’s taken the words of his customers and their satisfaction as a priority. His clothes are all about courage, because he’s never afraid to show his true colours.
What started as his pet project initially has now grown into a full-fledged dream, with the aim to make fashion more chic, approachable and accessible. His clothes and designs have come out of the closet, so to speak, and he’s been painting the world a rainbow since the day he identified himself as gay. With patience he has overcome hardships and a bad breakup; he’s now a strong individual with even stronger ideologies. Suresh Menon has conquered Kollywood and is making inroads into the other South Indian film and fashion industries now. His next
goal? Hollywood!
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