Nik Thakkar
GET UPDATES FROM Nik Thakkar
 
Listed as one of 25 on The New Fashion Power List 2012 and on Time Out London’s Culture 100, described by VICE magazine as “one of the premier creative minds in London” and spotted by Dolce & Gabbana as a pop culture tastemaker only begins to describe Nik Thakkar’s accolades.

Nik is a creative brand strategist, writer and fashion television personality who has co-pioneered a broad range of award-winning global entertainment and fashion campaigns including Wonderbra by Dita Von Teese, the Diet Coke partnerships with Karl Lagerfeld (2011) and Jean Paul Gaultier (2012), creative design projects with Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, the launches of Kinect for Xbox 360 and Netflix along with project work with fashion trend forecasters Stylesight, breakthrough pop stars and digital startups.

Specialising in content creation and publicity strategy, Nik has worked to create bespoke campaigns for major international brands, generating worldwide talkability and consumer brand aficion. He holds close relationships with top tier influencers from London to New York and Milan to Paris, and is a columnist for The Huffington Post and US celebrity superblog popbytes.com, and has had work published on Forbes.com. He is also the voice behind KARLISMYUNKLE.COM – a visual pop couture blog read and recommended by Dolce & Gabbana, VICE magazine and GQ amongst others.

Nik recently worked with Dolce & Gabbana on a series of projects, launching with a cultural tastemaker digital content piece for the brand’s online hub Swide.com. In addition, he hosts various club nights including the VIP room at Jodie Harsh’s prestigious This is… Circus, he is Casting Director for CLOUD (London’s answer to Studio 54), has co-curated a design project with Hasan Hejazi, DJ’d at London members’ club Bungalow 8 and the W Hotel, has been featured in a Marina and the Diamonds music video, modeled for a t-shirt collaboration between Asher Levine and Nicola Formichetti and much more.

He has his first TV show on Fashion One (Sky) launching in 2013, where he will be one of three judges on a panel searching for the next big fashion television presenter. Nik regularly takes part in speaking and compere events for Influencer Conference, The Futurist Panel for The Industry, iFabbo, EQ Live amongst others, and has been invited to guest lecture at London College of Fashion. In June 2012 Nik launched creative brand consultancy Nephew London and was also appointed the role of Visionaire to creatively direct the September issue of breakthrough fashion magazine, Phoenix. He is currently working on his first multi-platform novel.

Nik has been featured in publications including Metro, Time Out, The Business of Fashion, Dolce & Gabbana’s Swide.com, Fiasco magazine, BLAG magazine, Wonderland magazine, Artrocker, A Shaded View of Fashion and more…

Blog Entries by Nik Thakkar

Consumer Brands And Creative Content; A New Synergy

(0) Comments | Posted May 3, 2013 | 3:55 PM

Partnering consumer brands with fashion, music, sport and film in the form of endorsement and sponsorship has been commonplace for decades now, however, how this has evolved over the last few years - particularly in light of digital creative content stemming from such brands - has essentially become more strategically exclusive with the consumer brand fast becoming the heart of the actual launch in question.

A key example from the last few weeks (that has generated a lot of buzz) is the questionable launch of Beyoncé 's fifth studio album. As yet untitled, we know that it is in production and with the commercial partnerships that have been nailed over the last three months, we know that it has tracks - namely Grown Woman and Standing On The Sun. In almost an obscure role reversal - and in spite of rumour and speculation as to whether the album is actually finished or the label is having second thoughts about releasing it - these tracks only debuted due to the commercials/digital films for Pepsi and H&M respectively.

Music videos becoming the new adverts is one thing, but debuting an album via commercial partnerships is practically unheard of.

Did Pepsi and H&M bid more for this level of exclusivity? Was it planned all long or has it taken place by chance due to the label and artist questioning the content of the record? It's unlikely that a global tour would be activated with no new content, so my bets are on the fact that the album has been delayed and the commercial partnerships that were planned around the launch (along with the Superbowl, Vogue covers and various other promotional opportunities), which means that Pepsi and H&M got A LOT more bang for their buck.

So what can we expect? An album launch in Q3 with no promo and no global domination of complimenting commercial partnerships? Probably.

This brings me onto the other side of the coin. When an emerging consumer brand partners with a creative set on branded grassroots content across PR, social, digital marketing, experiential and product placement to firmly establish itself at the root of an industry.

You might have seen the breathtaking campaign that Snow Queen Vodka released this year featuring leading female models shot by Ellen Von Unwerth and styled by Sascha Lilic. The campaign itself doubled as a calendar made available for purchase and gifting.

2013-05-03-EllenvonUnwerthSnowQueenVodkaCalendarMarch.jpg

Following on from this, the brand has tapped a new creative duo for the launch of their debut men's wear collection at London Collections: Men in June. Tying intrinsically into every element of the campaign - from the fashion film and publicity to the showcase in London on June 16, Snow Queen has announced its official affiliation with Ada + Nik for Spring/Summer 14 - the ten piece capsule collection that ex-Alexander McQueen designer and pioneering ethical designer Ada Zanditon has created with yours truly.

Brought together by an admiration for similar creative inspiration Ada and I have joined forces to co-create this distinctive label, debuting with a Greco-Roman Punk inspired collection. It features ten unique pieces bringing to life my love for a monochrome and minimalist luxe aesthetic, nodding to Ada's previous collections. But what of Snow Queen Vodka's involvement? They're essentially working collaboratively with us on all of the creative brand elements - particularly the fashion film being shot by Thomas Knights which is going to feature a globally recognized artist (not Beyoncé), and the showcase taking place at St Martins Lane Hotel on June 16.

As the two brands go, they share an incredible amount in common - from their creative vision (Ellen Von Unwerth is a dream collaborator for Ada + Nik in the future) to the Greco-Roman Punk theme (note the Snow Queen/visual icon-in-the-making's spear) along with the random mutual adoration of ice-sculptures.

2013-05-03-adaandniksketches1367313342.jpg

On scale and perception this obviously isn't a Beyoncé for Pepsi campaign, but it is the perfect inverse and scalable example of a progressive and intelligent consumer brand leveraging fashion content to drive awareness and grow influence - thereby maximizing awareness through creative content that wouldn't traditionally be seen as a standalone campaign without appropriate talent and influencer...

Read Post

British Music's Newest Entrepreneurial Pop Star

(0) Comments | Posted April 17, 2013 | 8:33 PM

2013-04-18-pa_vv_brown_gig_06.jpg

Entrepreneurial pop is something that has always existed, since Sinatra at least. Grimes (who is now the face of Iris Van Herpen) vocally thanks social media for her rise to cult pop stardom, the legitimate critical praise that Britney Spears' music still receives is rooted...

Read Post

Inside the Mind of Modern-Day Creative Icon, Woodkid

(0) Comments | Posted March 15, 2013 | 8:19 AM

2013-03-15-XuHHP1d8eB6Xk59gCUI0MgqKTfP0XpFgWQpeu0GAsQqfvHPYt4ErrvEuc712IYDZxhXRCiJICFZFKYlSfwozqMYtLb9qpmAhWA4YU_RzRZo3_PeCUhfiEf10f8KqU.jpeg

It's rare that a singular artist ever truly embodies an endless list of talent to such unparalleled levels of greatness - creativity, art, progressive visual aesthetic and so forth, warranting a descriptor as music's equivalent of Karl Lagerfeld.

Woodkid (a.k.a.) Yoann Lemoine may...

Read Post

Why Casting Creative Influencers Is The Future Of Brand Influence

(0) Comments | Posted February 13, 2013 | 8:37 AM

Cult vintage brand, Nordic Poetry just unveiled their debut fashion film starring fifteen of London's breakthrough creative influencers from design to art and music to fashion. 'Visual Aria' - set in the Billiards Room of Sanderson London taking on a Juergen Teller aesthetic, includes a diverse casting of...

Read Post

Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura: The Unification of Two Icons

(0) Comments | Posted September 12, 2012 | 1:04 PM

2012-09-12-12xmas_beauty_LB115_study_1_02.28.jpg

The descriptions "a man of many hats" and "renaissance man" do not even marginally do justice to what Karl Lagerfeld has achieved, and is indeed still achieving at the age of "79". Lagerfeld has paved the way for countless designers and fashion creatives throughout the...

Read Post

BLAG - The Longstanding, Revered, Cutting-Edge British Magazine Turns 20

(0) Comments | Posted August 28, 2012 | 7:25 PM

2012-08-28-tumblr_m6cmrnGf4F1r9kgnfo1_1280.jpg

2012-08-28-tumblr_m4g42rFPzN1qd9vcjo1_1280.jpg

Dubbed as "real culture for sophisticated rebels and savvy individuals", the eponymous publication BLAG - created by British twins Sally A. Edwards and Sarah J. Edwards - is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a luxury collectors edition in book form, featuring a...

Read Post

The Girls Are Back: Creative Duo Karley Sciortino & Adri Murguia Bring Us Season 2 Of VICE's Slutever

(0) Comments | Posted August 22, 2012 | 7:34 PM

2012-08-22-AdriKarley_FINAL.jpg

Karley Sciortino and Adri Murguia (photographed by Michael Abrego above) are about to take over VICE.COM with the second season of Slutever. The creative duo first joined forces with the launch of Sciortino's video version of Slutever, which aired this past April. The highly...

Read Post

Stardom For The Masses

(0) Comments | Posted July 4, 2012 | 7:44 AM

Buzz generation through finding an "Average Joe" star for a global campaign can bit hit or miss, but it looks like Martini has finally nailed the creative process behind this...and if it is endorsed by Christian Louboutin and e-commerce giant My-Wardrobe.com, then they are definitely doing something right.

The...

Read Post

The LCFM Debut Featuring Asger Juel Larsen, Domingo Rodriguez and Matteo Molinari

(0) Comments | Posted June 16, 2012 | 9:00 AM

This week saw the launch of London's first official menswear fashion week. As I've said on various occasions, London has always pioneered a cultural and visual fashion aesthetic that has set trends alight across the globe. To see the BFC embracing this in 2012 can be perceived as a cultural...

Read Post

Introducing Slutever from VICE with Karley Sciortino Directed by Adri Murguia

(0) Comments | Posted April 5, 2012 | 8:51 AM

2012-04-05-af75ac46b57503a80532c01d221c6021_vice_669x375.jpg

If you're reading this in NYC or have spent a lot of time there, you've probably heard of Slutever. If you haven't, you need to. It's a cult phenomenon blog by Karley Sciortino about her...well...sexcapades.

In true cultural tastemaker style, VICE...

Read Post

One New Change Launches THE EDIT by Reeme Idris

(0) Comments | Posted March 22, 2012 | 2:35 PM

2012-03-22-theeditbanner.jpg

As most of you reading this will know, bricks and mortar retailers catering to a growing digital/e-commerce friendly demographic isn't an easy feat. This is why the announcement of THE EDIT - a personal styling experience/exclusive new service for time-strapped shoppers in the City...

Read Post

Why Harrods Is Winning London's Luxury Department Store Social Media Race

(1) Comments | Posted February 15, 2012 | 5:42 AM

2012-02-15-iphonesimg.png

This week saw the announcement that luxury department store Harrods has teamed up with the world's most digitally progressive fashion brand Burberry to not only live stream their Autumn/Winter 2012 show on the store's Facebook page, but data mine the...

Read Post

#AVERAGEJOE By Josef Valentino

(0) Comments | Posted January 30, 2012 | 6:37 PM

Absolutely loving the creative and alternative thought process behind Josef Valentino's latest project, #AVERAGEJOE. Watch of the video above and it will all come together. In short, Valentino is on another creative mission. This time...

Read Post

Introducing the World's First Social Media Super Model Daniel Garofali

(0) Comments | Posted December 13, 2011 | 7:08 PM

As those of you who read KARLISMYUNKLE.COM know, my appreciation of the mastery of digital media coupled with creativity is pretty much unparalleled. Until now, I haven't really had the opportunity to write about my good friend Daniel Garofali - the world's first social media super...

Read Post

PUMA Presents: Ruby Goe - Get On It by Thomas Knights

(0) Comments | Posted November 14, 2011 | 12:17 PM

As someone who loves the idea of consumer brands working with artists to create slick and beautiful content, nothing pleases me more than when I get sent a video presented by PUMA for the new Ruby Goe single, Get On It. The icing on this PR cake is the fact...

Read Post

A Conversation with Maximilian Wiedemann And Tyler Shields Before the Launch of "Well Hung"

(0) Comments | Posted October 6, 2011 | 8:42 PM

2011-10-05-love_or_leave.jpg

Tyler Shields is often described as a young Terry Richardson. This is definitely a massive compliment, but not necessarily 100% accurate. Shields' vision is slightly more artistic and definitely a lot darker - a reflection of the fact that he is a...

Read Post

A Mixtape From London Fashion Muse and Style Icon VV Brown

(0) Comments | Posted October 1, 2011 | 8:13 AM

2011-10-01-VVBROWNTHEPLAYGROUNDMIXTAPE.jpg

Following her UK rise to fame last year through the multi-platform Marks & Spencer advertising campaign and a rather brilliant debut album, Travelling The Light. VV Brown is back on the music scene and she is launching her second album with a bang.

...
Read Post

A Multidimensional Exhibition to Celebrate 5 Years of Iconic Club Night, Circus

(0) Comments | Posted September 26, 2011 | 8:43 AM

2011-09-26-thisiscircusexhibitionpreview.jpg

This week sees the launch of This is...Circus, the exhibition to celebrate five years of the rather legendary club night Circus - pioneered by Industry icon Jodie Harsh.

Harsh's brand growth over the last few years has been incomparable, from hosting a one-off...

Read Post

Introducing Mademoiselle Yulia: Japan's "Answer" to Lady Gaga

(0) Comments | Posted September 25, 2011 | 10:02 AM

Rather irritatingly dubbed as Japan's answer to Lady Gaga (name a popstar with a wig that is NOT compared to her), I wanted to take three minutes (one for reading this, two for watching the video) to introduce you to Mademoiselle Yulia, the electro DJ and fashion muse from Tokyo's...

Read Post

Unconditional SS12 Collection - The Progressive, Trend-Setting Underdog

(0) Comments | Posted September 19, 2011 | 7:08 PM

London Fashion Week has been in full force this season, and as always, there have been iconic digital advancements, for example Burberry's Twitterwalk and 3D installations from Giles Deacon; incredible collections from British designers including Matthew Williamson and Westwood Red Label; brilliant and capturing content from young designers like Ada...

Read Post