Conversations with Rahul Rekapalli

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rahul Rekapalli.

Hi Rahul, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I explore fashion through technology, photography, video, design, and styling. I studied photography through experimentation, but fashion photography was new. I have extensive experience in tech & finance and went back to graduate school in 2021 to pursue fashion photography. I am enrolled in an MFA in Photo, Video, and Related Media at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Through courses in multiple schools in New York and London, full-time and part-time, I developed an understanding of seeing garments develop from an idea into something physical. Image-making adds dimension to visualizing clothes.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Exploring the unknown has its moments. I stepped away from a career in tech & finance to study visual arts and fashion. There was an initial period of adjustment to a new environment in graduate school in a new city/country in the middle of the pandemic. The engineering skills helped in a systematic approach to studying fashion. The three years I have invested are precious, and I wanted to utilize all the opportunities this city provides to study fashion. I took courses in multiple schools each term, juggling my time between SVA, Parsons, and FIT in New York and additional summer courses in Central St Martins, London. I had a week of rest in 2023, which was by far the most intense period in the past 2.5 years. I’m looking forward to applying these skills to solve interesting problems.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Managing a professional and personal life leaves less time to do anything else. Over the years, I’ve set time apart to learn a new skill. I do this without any expectations of success or failure. I’ve picked up photography, carpentry, pottery, sculpture, terracotta jewelry, cooking, Krav Maga, swimming, portrait painting in oil, and scuba diving, and I am currently trying to learn skateboarding.

There are three questions we are interested in. What, How, and Why.
1) “What do I want to learn?”
2) “How can I learn to do that activity?”
3) “Why do I do that activity?”

These sum up how quickly I can progress with the opportunities to learn something new.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I’m intrigued by neuro-flexibility, the ability of the brain to rewire itself to do something new. When we use our hands to mold clay, the process can feel unfamiliar, and yet, through repetition, the clay responds to our touch, and our ideas take shape.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rahulrekapalli.com
• Instagram: rekapalli.fashion
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rekapalli/

Image Credits
Image 1: Model: Harold Rafale
Image 2: Model: Harold Rafale
Image 3: Model: Sophia Calderone
Image 4: Model: Sophia Calderone
Image 5: Model: Aliana Glory makeup artist: Aditi Agarwal hair stylist: Shreya Urankar
Image 6: Model: Dyah makeup artist: Aditi Agarwal
Image 7: model: Anna Patel