Style entered Ms Moushumi Khara’s life long before she imagined it would become her profession. As a child, she often felt unnoticed – “I grew up the tiniest in my class. I was the shortest and the skinniest,” she said. But in her teens, she discovered that putting thought into what she wore made people pay attention.
“People started noticing,” she said. Consequently, she realised the power of dressing and built on her love for aesthetics and serving others, one makeover at a time.
Today, as a professional stylist in her mid-40s, she aims to “democratise style”. After years of working with a gamut of diverse clients, she has gained insight into what draws her to the profession and shapes her ethos. The most rewarding aspect, she said, is watching her clients transform, both internally and externally.
She delights in how an intentionally curated outfit can alter someone’s demeanour. “Style is not just visual,” she said. “It is emotional. It reconnects you to your confidence, especially when you feel invisible or lost.”
Ms Moushumi said she feels a deeper affinity for her work as a stylist than she does for the label of an ‘influencer’, which she sees as a by-product of her styling career.
Based in Singapore, she works with clients around the globe and across socio-economic backgrounds, subverting the idea that style belongs to a particular geography or class. “Even if somebody is not able to afford a stylist, they can come to my page and get some direction and clarity,” she said.
Before becoming a stylist, she worked in human resources, then took six years off following the birth of her daughter. When she decided to return to work, choosing a creative path drew its share of scepticism. “When I entered the Instagram space,” she recalled, “some people said, ‘So now you want to become an influencer.’” Still, she persisted. “I navigated all of this by staying consistent and focused.”
Her approach to styling is rooted in the belief that no two clients should receive the same solution. “Styling is extremely personalised,” she noted. “There is no one-size-fits-all answer.” She pays close attention to proportions, silhouette, lifestyle, and even the subtle preferences people may not voice explicitly. “When clothes don’t fit properly, you start to feel underconfident,” Ms Moushumi explained. “No one wants to wear something unflattering.”
Most of her clients arrive overwhelmed. “There is too much information, too many trends, too much pressure,” she noted. Many have wardrobes full of clothes yet feel they have nothing to wear. Ms Moushumi helps them refine, edit, and relearn. Her belief in the impact of colour borders on scientific: “You win half your battle wearing the right colours,” she said. Wrong ones, she insists, “throw a negative shadow on your face”.
One client stands out in her memory: a woman in her late 70s who came to her after a difficult move and an unravelling marriage. “She had shrunk behind all of that,” Ms Moushumi said.
They refreshed her wardrobe with soft mints, yellows, peaches, and shades that lifted her face and mood. “Boom,” she said, “she was this newfound woman.” The woman, once a journalist and cultural educator, ended up giving Ms Moushumi business advice. “When I empower women, I empower myself,” Ms Moushumi said. “It’s so fulfilling.”
She’s also clear-eyed about social media. “Social media has given more representation,” she said, “but it has also created comparison and confusion”. She dislikes the competitiveness within her own field. “One stylist trying to put the other stylist down, there is space for everyone.”
At home, she is the mother of a 13-year-old who lives in hoodies and Lululemons. “I’m not able to influence her style,” she said, laughing. “Usually, the feedback session goes bad every single time. But she should be allowed to experience her style, her journey, her body,” she said. “Style is not something you can impose.”
Ms Moushumi believes confidence is something you cultivate through practice, not something you’re simply born with. She recommends a simple and consistent morning ritual – “Look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself how beautiful you are.” She used to do it. Now, she said, “I no longer need to; it’s muscle memory.” The same principle, she said, applies to clothes: “The more you practice putting things together, the more your muscle will remember.”
When asked what she’s learned from her clients, she said: “Everyone goes through their own journey and that shapes who they are. You’ve got to understand that, respect that, and value that person.” And she aims to do just that with her clients.
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2 Oct 2025 12:09
