Groom away to glory

Bill Watson, Tony & Guy’s international artistic and educational director was in the city — and when DC caught up with him for an interview, he shared his story of venturing into this business, his thoughts about Indian styling and the importance of having an academy to hone the skills of talented people.

Little did Bill think that tagging along with his sister to a modelling competition would be the turning point in his career. “I was young and one day my sister was asked to be a model for a competition — and I went along thinking that it’d be a cool place to hang out! I met some interesting people and I could see how creative they can be. It was a tiny thought that maybe I could try creating some great looks. I was just excited to be in an industry as colourful as this,” he begins his conversation.

The New Zealand-based stylist has got some interesting advice for the aspiring stylists. “You need to have an open mind to observe the variety of people around the world. Your taste and your perspective change every day. We need to keep ourselves updated with new technology. It comes down to one’s own personality and how they decide to craft a look,” he adds.

Talking about his strong points, he says, “I’m very self-critical and I tend to enjoy what other people wear and listen to. My inspiration comes from that. I don’t look anything like I did 30 years back and I may not give a haircut that I gave  yesterday! That, I think is one of my strongest points.”

Bill feels that Indian styling has truly become international. “I’ve been coming to India for the past 10 years and I can  see a lot of changes. Social media has made the world much smaller and we have ideas in a jiffy. We are also seeing how Indian women have evolved over the years.”

Having an academy to teach and groom people is imperative in today’s world. “That’s why I’m here, educating people in Chennai. We believe that with proper education, we can empower people. I think, the need and hunger to learn is more here,” he shares, adding, “I’m from NZ and I could travel to other countries; not everybody in the world can do that. We realised the talents of people across the globe and have sub-divided the countries to set up our academy to hone their skills. It’s not easy to work with Toni & Guy as we demand a high standard.”

Bill is sometimes fascinated by the women in Chennai. “I see the accessories and the sarees people wear and wonder if I can steal some! (laughs) But this is how modern fashion works. You look at accessories and wonder how you can incorporate it in your work,” he concludes.