Jinal Jain is a fashion influencer and a Myntra Fashion Super Star. Her styling is unique, and she is known for Sketch and video making. A graduate fashion designer, Jinal also excels in DIY and creating new and creative stuff.
- Hello Jinal, glad to have you for the interview. Can you tell us a bit about you?
Hey, Thank you for giving me this glorious opportunity of getting interviewed. I am honoured.
Hola! I am Jinal Jain, owner of the page Lampofjinni on Instagram. With an inclination towards observation in small details and intricacy, I have always been an art lover and a nature soul. Sky gazing, mountain trekking and clean beaches are my go place for peace. I was a part of a fashion reality series, Myntra Fashion Superstar, on MTV and Voot. I am a B.Sc graduate Fashion Designer who has worked as a senior designer at a unit until the 2019 pandemic, where I got a twist to my career, and hence LAMPOFJINNI was born.
- How did you start your journey?
Felt like I was god’s favourite child as I was creative by birth! I started making the most of it by expressing myself through self-portraits, creating art, sketching and style concepts and many more. Since I had a Fashion background, I couldn’t untie myself from fashion and then introduce fashion on my page. Appreciation keeps motivating and uplifting me to do better and push my boundaries each passing day. I, too, believed in my page from the very beginning and had huge plans for it. (Ps. I still have)
- You are popularly known for your sketch and video making. How did this idea come into your mind?
I still remember a day when I had my very first paid collab at 2k followers, and what hit my mind was why would a brand want to work with me when there are thousands out there catering the same thing. This was when I decided to come up with a self-exploration project. I am a fashion designer by profession, so sketching has always been my thing. Plus, the shit got real when I literally “brought the sketch to life!” I did numerous experiments and trial and error to find out how can I bring uniqueness to this concept and make this my very own signature style and an original artwork too. It took quite a lot of time to express, execute and come up with this series, but I believed in it. I still want to be recognised as the first Indian who came up with the sketch and style concept.
My latest sketch concept is way better than my first, and eventually, it improves with time.
- Share with us the experience you’ve had with Myntra Fashion Super Star.
I’m glad I could also take this concept to a bigger screen.
This was when I got selected after rounds of interviews, meetings, and zoom calls with the production house for a fashion reality show popularly known as Myntra Fashion Superstar season 3, which is now on MTV and Voot too! I was the only micro influencer from India competing with 11 other established influencers who are also exceptionally good with their work. Everyone had their own Usp in the show. Creativity and fashion run in my blood. Hence my DIY skills took over some of the episodes from the show and the panellist’s eye too. Manish Malhotra, Kusha Kapila, Santu Mishra, Ashna Shroff and Ankush Bahuguna were the panellists and getting a spot from them was a dream come true. Especially as a designer and a creator, getting that M Like from Manish Malhotra was ‘the moment! This show has proven a blessing to me and my career. Now I can proudly tell my kids in the future, “Hey, kids, I’m on TV!”
- You have an exceptionally unique look. Where does your style savvy come from, and where do you get your inspiration?
Experimental style has always been my aesthetic. Whether mixing two styles or exploring one, I’ve always believed in expressing myself through fashion and try & error has been my thing. My go-to inspiration has been my dad, Komal Pandey and I. Komal Pandey because she and her vibe check series are why I changed my private profile into public, participated in her challenges, got myself out of my comfort zone and started challenging my abilities. Dad, because I’ve seen him work from 0 to top, yet he stays down to earth and never loses his humbleness. Ps. My dad stitched clothes when he was young, enjoyed fashion and has good imagination skills. Now you know where I got my genes from.
I’m also inspired by my work, growth, potential, style and dedication. Like I’ve said before, I’m a student for life. Every new project/ decision turns out to be the better one until I work on another better. I feel it’s good to be responsible and aware of your own scope of improvement. It may sound funny, but I do carry my journal in the bathroom because, honestly, ‘most of my ideas are generated in the shower’. I am a good observer, and I can find rough things pretty! I can find the art in anything and almost everything! Most of my inspiration is drawn from things happening around or seen in our day-to-day lives.
- Can you give us some insight into a “day in the life” for you?
Talking about our daily lives, let’s peek into a day in Jinni’s life. Starting with a 10 min meditation kinda prayer (a habit that I’ve inculcated for 3 years now), followed by drinking 1 ltr of water, getting all freshened up, and having a bowl full of curd with 5 types of seeds and an apple mandatorily. Then I get ready and wait for my interns. By the time interns are at my place, I have already gotten ready for my myntra live. We pack up with the first live of the day around 12 in the noon; post lunch, it’s a shoot + edit day until our next live in the evening. We call it a day off around 10ish, followed by a family dinner and gala time. Then I do a good 10 min meditation kinda prayer and doze off around 2 am. This is what 5 days of my week look like because I love keeping myself busy and enjoying my work. But when it’s a day off, it’s a total day off. No work, nothing! It’s just a chill pill, then.
- Who is your primary audience, and what do you think keeps them coming back to your blog?
I have a female audience between the ages of 20 and 34, and some of my regular viewers are from the myntra lives that I do on the myntra app. I also have a good number of influencers as an audience. I think creativity, fashion and my true personality are what makes them keep coming back, and I love it. I remember guiding a lot of established and budding creators through “how did I create or edit a certain reel.
- Do you see yourself as an “influencer”, and if so, what does that mean?
LAMPOFJINNI is more like a lamp of a genie to me. Since my nickname is a jinni, the user name had to be lampofjinni!
I feel the grid on my page (lamp) is room for my creativity, and just like how a genie gets out of the lamp and gets productive, I am the jinni of my lamp who wants to put her best foot forward in getting her own wishes to come true.
“Jo hukum mere aaka!“ is for my motivators and I. I am an influencer, but I am not aiming to run behind fame or numbers, and I am here for my existence and growth. If I am true to my work, love, respect, and money will eventually fall in hand.
- What are your favourite things to do outside of fashion and social media?
I love travelling. I find my peace in the mountains, and beaches, watching the sunsets, exploring nature, monsoon treks, sky and star gazing, visiting the old age homes, running a fun and food drive at the orphanages, feeding the street dogs, cats & cows, meeting my friends and family and the list goes on. I can find happiness even in the smallest of things. These are my happy places to get rid of the creative blockages I get. However, I call myself more of a creator. But if someone’s getting inspired during the journey, it’s a bonus!
- If you were to give someone advice that wanted to get into fashion blogging, what would it be?
Last but not least, if I were to give someone advice, I’d rather say- Don’t trust, validate and compare yourself based on the numbers or the fame you see. It’ll only lead to stress. Instead, believe in your work set a goal, manifest and start working hard for it without worrying if it’ll hit or not. Keep trying and give your best shot at it already because if not now, then when?
- Can you share with us one other fashion prediction you have for 2023?
I believe the schoolgirl wardrobe is making a huge comeback. The schoolgirl 2.0 raised the white shirt, the tie, the skirt, the blazer and the trousers to the rank of fashion essentials of the season.
- Do you have any upcoming events or announcements you wish to share?
I am currently working on a dream project with my favourite, a very famous streetwear brand. Also, I might announce my engagement at the end of this year. Let’s not talk further about it for now. Hahaha
