Daily Inspiration: Meet Nuha Hussain

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nuha Hussain.

Hi Nuha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Nuha Marjan Hussain also go by NU and I’m a Pakistani, Singaporean and American creative, stylist and dancer. I was raised in Singapore for 8 years of my life before moving to the US in 2017. The first art form I was introduced to was painting since my mother is also an artist. I didn’t realize it then but my career blossomed from one art form to the another but the root was always just expressing myself and slowly turning that passion into a business and a full time career. From painting, to selling art prints, to a jewelry business, to a thrift vendor, to dancing professionally, to working a 9-5 at 2nd street, to balancing shoot after shoot while working at a retail store, to finally quitting my 9-5 after 2 years and now being a full time freelance stylist and professional dancer.

How I became a stylist was such a beautiful journey and I have the dance community to thank, I just always loved to dress up and come to rehearsals in outfits that made me feel more confident while dancing. My style was getting more recognition online and in person so much that people started asking me to style their headshots. At the time, I had no idea what being a stylist meant but I was so excited to dress people in a vision they trusted me with. Quickly enough I started educating myself about brands, textures, storytelling through silhouettes, types of roles in fashion and became friends with the right people and creatives that were deep in the scene. I learned what it took to be a stylist through trial and error and at the end of the day, it’s really just intention, storytelling, a feeling and just loving the process of curating looks.
From styling dancers headshots for agencies, to costume designing and styling 70 person dance sets, to styling dancers in music videos, to commercials, to brand campaigns, building relationships with showrooms, to styling my first movie, to working with magazines, the list goes on and continues to expand.

I wouldn’t ever label myself as just a stylist because their are so many other aspects I’ve grown to love and boxes I’ve stepped into working in fashion. I enjoy modeling, designing custom clothing, being a creative director, hairstylist, MUA, doing movement direction, content creation and the blessings continue… Ultimately, I feel really grateful for the foundation I’ve laid for myself to continuously build on, be picky with work and intentional about my creative process and the team I build. I feel like I got to where I am today through knowing myself, what type of life I want to live and trusting God.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Working in fashion is chaos with glitter sparkled over it. Being a stylist is huge process, depending on the job itself it starts with the vision alone, solidifying what story you want to tell while working alongside a brand or an artists’ vision. Then finding where to get those perfect pieces for a look after searching through 100+ options on top of working with a budget. Scheduling appointments with showrooms, picking up all the pieces, organizing all garments, experimenting with so many looks because one aspect of a look can change the vision. Styling the look head to toe playing around with tops, bottoms, shoes, headwear, accessories, bags, the overall vibe curation. It’s a big process.

I would say my journey honestly has been really blessed no matter what work I had put out when starting, I received so much love and support but I have definitely had a lot of internal struggles. When stepping into more big girl jobs or even doing low ball assisting work, I felt out of place mentally because I had all these expectations and was met with chaos for hours on set, needing to unlock a solution based brain with any problem that came up or even being treated with subtle doubt because I was always the youngest in the room. So many things that could easily make or break some people but I find so much power in struggle because I really do trust in a higher version of myself to guide me.

Being the youngest person working in the same room is such a powerful reality to realize and confidence in knowing you are exactly where you’re meant to be, will take you such a long way. Communicating when in a lead position was a struggle at first until I grasped I have to trust what I am saying before my team will.
I have failed and learnt and I will continue to fail and learn but with resilience, the amazing support system I have and faith in the process, any struggle is just a lesson to make me smarter and wiser as I continue to dive deeper into my career.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a fashion stylist, professional dancer, a creative and a vibe. I am known for my takes on fashion, the way I articulate stories through clothing and honestly I feel like my way of life is what gravitates people to me. My work ties into the fashion world, the dance world and the music world but everything is really connected.
In my styling world, I specialize in all types, I’ve worked for brands, styled editorials, designed, custom made and styled dance sets, styled for music videos, short films, movies, e-comm, agency headshot looks, styled DJ’s for shows and festivals, the list honestly goes on because there’s so much I am hungry for.
The dance world has been super connected with my styling journey but in terms of performances, I used to dance competitively for about 6 years and when I stopped a whole new world opened up ranging from project teams, dancing on America’s Got Talent Season 19, dancing in music videos, teaching classes, doing club performances, etc,
I do specialize mainly in fashion and dance but I feel like I am known for much more expansive paths– being in the industry and with people I’ve met, I have gotten into modeling for brands, being a creative director for campaigns or a styling project, picked up hairstyling while working on sets, doing movement direction, creating social media content, my favorite feeling is stacking my resume. I want to experience everything I can and learn what I really love to become a master on those specific skills.

I am most proud of representing brown people. Wherever I am and all the places I have lived, my friend groups, clients, partnerships are always so versatile and yet I always find myself being in the only Pakistani/ Singaporean. It brings me joy to get to share where I’m from with the people I work with. I’ve had the privilege of absorbing a mix of cultures, aesthetics, and energies. That background makes me see fashion differently and it makes me proud to work campaigns or look on websites and see a brown girl living her dreams.

What sets me apart, I think is my motion. As a young girl I’ve always had a really deep connection with myself and an understanding of navigation. How to connect with all types of people, simplicity of observation, how to self educate on mannerism, tone, reading a room, understanding positions, how to build confidence through expression, things that make me, me. Knowing myself and hearing my inner voice ultimately I feel like is my superpower in how I navigate the world.
Individual motion will always set you apart because it’s authenticity at its finest.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is there is no blueprint and you are one of one. Every creative industry not just fashion can be so competitive and feel saturated, when working around so many like minded people and all under the same industry sometimes I can visualize how natural and safe it is to blend in to fit with an aesthetic or crowd.

I love watching runway shows around the world and seeing what new designers are creating and the silhouettes of outfits curated. I think to myself ” wow i love the play of colors on this look” or “the styling of this look with this certain bag makes me feel ____”. I constantly like to look at inspiration and then challenge myself in my own mind rather than think I need to change my ideas because of what energy the internet agrees with. The importance of acknowledging I am one of one, no one has my thoughts, my background, my experiences, my skill, my creativity, my energy, my work will always be in embodiment and what a beautiful thing to forever be. Knowing you are one of one gives you the freedom and confidence to inspire with a fresh take because you are your own inspo.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nuhahussain.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nuha.hussainn/?hl=en

Image Credits
Photographer Credentials:

– Calvin Ma
– Ashley Chang
– Ernie Perez