A year down the line after his first interview, make-up artist Sakil Kunwar feels that he needs to make his presence felt through media – print and electronic. [break]
“After my school finishes, I am taking a year off so that I can get into real business,” shares Kunwar, adding, “I don’t want people to be asking me who you are.”
During last year’s IEC Nepal Fashion Week, his beehive hairdos on models were interesting.
This year, apart from the combo of western hairdos with traditional hair accessories like lachha dori, the eye make-up, which appeared like feathers on the third day of the fashion week, were commendable.
Explaining about the particularly intricate work, he says, “It was done with the help of stroking technique. I learnt about this technique, which was also used by artist Vincent Van Gogh, when I studied art in my O-levels,” informs Kunwar.
When asked about the response he received after Nepal Fashion Week, he informs, “There was no response at all.”
The 18-year-old observes, “There should be someone to take the initiative to prove that this is also a career; until and unless someone does that, people will not see the potential in make-up artist.”
For the first time in the16-year-old history of Miss Nepal, the pageant winner received a personal trainer and groomer for the Miss World preparations - Kunwar’s courtesy. The make-up artist personally approached the pageant organizer Hidden Treasure to train Miss Nepal 2009 Zenisha Moktan. Though the beauty queen didn’t bag any titles in the finale, all his grooming sessions, make-ups and character development were apparent in Moktan’s confident posture. This year, however, Hidden Treasure failed to appoint a trainer.
A diploma holder in Hair Designing and Professional Make-up from VLCC, Institute of Beauty, Health & Management in Delhi, Kunwar is currently doing his A-levels.
Apart from his studies, Kunwar has ventured into Bijoux, School of Fashion Modeling, along with model Sijan Bhattachan and Hrishant Bipashwa Rai. “Earlier I worked as an individual, but now I work with my team,” he shares.
“This field is gradually growing but models lack mentoring out here and that is what we plan to do. We see many potential faces but they don’t have people to promote and mentor them,” Kunwar says, highlighting on the school’s objective.
Presently, the school has also tied up with Mega Model, a reality show that airs on Image Channel. “Basically, we help the participants on skill development such as walk, expression, et al,” shares the artist.
As part of the school’s project, Kunwar is currently busy grooming Samriddhi Rai, who will represent Nepal in Miss Tourism Queen International 2010 to be held in Hangzhou, China.
“He is very passionate about his work,” says Rai, referring to Kunwar. She is with the opinion that other beauty pageants contestants didn’t get the opportunity to learn from what Sakil had to offer. “Without trainings and grooming, Nepali participants are just going to be fillers in such pageants.”
Apart from Rai’s walk, posture and styling part, Kunwar has also come up with a tailored make-up that suit Rai’s features.
At a time when the major fashion or modeling events are still being overpowered by the traditional caked-up look, Kunwar’s strokes are subtle and different from the conventional lots. As Kunwar experiments, develops and juggles with the make-up sector, albeit in a small scale, changes in the sector seem inevitable.
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