“Ate and left no crumbs!”
“On point”
“Aura”
What kind of aesthetic and persona does an individual emulate to receive such compliments?
A stylish and confident person does! But does everyone have a good fashion sense? The hits and misses by celebrities and public figures would say otherwise.
This is where a stylist comes in. Their role is about understanding aesthetics, trends, and the client’s needs to create a specific image. A stylist doesn’t make the clothes; they use the clothes to craft a narrative, whether it’s for a red carpet event, a magazine photoshoot, or a personal wardrobe.
Protyasha’s path into the fashion world has been anything but typical. Growing up in the quiet town of Faridpur, she was the girl more interested in books, sports, and poem recitations than in what she wore. “I was always so into academics and other activities that I never really gave importance to what I was wearing,” she wryly recalls. She studied nuclear engineering in Moscow, but fate had other plans.
Her earliest memories of style are woven into family traditions. During Eid, her sisters would design outfits inspired by Bollywood stars, and her mother would sew them to fit. Being petite, not everything suited her frame, so her mother’s custom tailoring made her realise how clothes could transform appearance. “That’s when I unknowingly got into styling. But at that time, I was still totally focused on studies and had no idea this would be part of my future,” she admits.
That future revealed itself in the most unexpected way. While styling shoots for her sister’s business page, Protyasha discovered a natural flair for creating looks. Soon after, Aarong—the iconic Bangladeshi brand—noticed her work and invited her to style their in-house shoots. Before long, she was trusted with their major campaigns. “Aarong’s Falgun campaign was my first ever big styling assignment, and it meant a lot to me. It was a huge step up from anything I had done before,” she says, her voice still carrying the excitement of that breakthrough moment.
Two years into her professional journey, Protyasha’s vision for styling goes far beyond clothes. To her, fashion is storytelling. “The right look can set the whole mood when it matches the theme,” she explains. Whether she’s dreaming of dressing Bangladesh’s biggest stars or envisioning brides on their wedding day, she sees styling as a way to amplify confidence and identity. “Styling shapes how a celebrity is seen by the public and industry. The right look highlights their personality, builds their brand, and helps them connect with fans.”
For a stylist who once had no interest in fashion, Protyasha now stands at the heart of a rapidly evolving industry where image and identity intertwine. And if her journey so far is any indication, her story has only just begun.
Similarly, for Aseer Nehalul Islam, the journey from gears to garments has felt almost inevitable. “I actually come from the complete opposite end of the spectrum,” he says with a grin. “I studied Mechanical Engineering. Now I work as a Product & Growth Manager in a leading telecom company.” Yet somewhere between strategy meetings and product launches, he was sketching visions of what Bangladeshi menswear could become.
His inspiration came from both nostalgia and a sense of frustration. “Growing up in Bangladesh, I was always drawn to pieces that felt ceremonial, rooted, meaningful. But when it came to everyday menswear, everything felt… the same. Safe, repetitive, almost stripped of identity.” What he craved was a way to blend the richness of local textiles with the sharp structure of Western tailoring. For him, styling was never just about clothing—it was about identity. “It was about expressing who we are without having to explain it.”
Like many great stories, his one began almost by accident. Aseer styled his best friend—who happens to be a fashion designer—for his debut show at Arka. That single moment lit a spark. Soon after, he was asked to style musician Pritom Hasan. “I said yes without thinking too much, and things just took off from there,” he recalls. From Eid specials and concerts to Pritom’s full USA tour, Aseer curated looks that felt both daring and deeply personal. “It’s been about two years now, but honestly, it feels like I’ve been styling in my head forever.”
What sets Aseer apart is his vision of styling as narrative-building. “In today’s world, image isn’t just about looking good. It’s about telling a story,” he says. In his eyes, a stylist doesn’t just select clothes—they shape perception, elevate confidence, and sometimes even create cultural moments. “Beyond aesthetics, styling is about authenticity. The right look can elevate confidence, shift perception, and sometimes even create a cultural moment.”
When asked about dream clients, his eyes light up with possibility. At home, he dreams of reimagining Shakib Khan’s iconic presence, blending legacy with a sharper global edge. Globally, it’s Shah Rukh Khan, the star who has always been more than just a celebrity to him. “He carries vulnerability, charisma, and an effortless elegance that few can match. Growing up, we all saw bits of ourselves in him—the dreamer, the lover, the rebel.” For Aseer, styling is no longer a side passion but a creative calling that merges fashion, culture, and storytelling.
In an age where every look is instantly shareable and endlessly scrutinised, stylists are helping redefine what it means for Bangladeshi celebrities and brands to step into the spotlight—sharp, rooted, memorable and unapologetically themselves.