Fashion careers often begin in design schools or studios. Nancy Tyagi took a different route. At 21, the fashion designer and content creator built her career at home, using a manual sewing machine, local fabric markets and social media. That path led her to the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.

Tyagi grew up creating dresses for her dolls. Fabric scraps became outfits. That habit stayed with her. Over time, she began designing clothes for herself. She also began recording the process and sharing it online.

What started as a way to help her family soon became a public career.

A Personal Reason to Start

Tyagi moved from Barnawa village in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi for UPSC coaching. During that time, her mother worked in a coal factory. Tyagi worried about her mother’s health and safety. She wanted her to leave that job.

During the Covid lockdown, Tyagi made a choice. She used her mother’s savings meant for coaching classes to buy a camera. With help from her brother Ahaan, she began creating fashion videos for Instagram and YouTube.

The goal was simple. Build an income stream that could support the family.

Learning Through Practice

Tyagi had no formal training in fashion. She learned by doing. She followed trends on social media and adapted them in her own way.

Her videos included recreations of film looks, outfit challenges and step-by-step sewing clips. She sourced fabric from Seelampur market in Delhi and stitched outfits on her mother’s sewing machine.

One series showed her making an outfit from scratch each day. Viewers saw the full process, from fabric choice to final fit.

She faced criticism along the way. Some comments focused on her appearance. Tyagi continued posting. Over time, the audience grew.

Being Discovered Online

In 2023, Tyagi’s work caught the attention of Monk Entertainment, a talent management and influencer marketing firm.

Viraj Sheth, co-founder and CEO of Monk Entertainment, says her story stood out. He points to her skill, consistency and hands-on approach to design.

With professional support, Tyagi gained access to larger opportunities.

A Cannes Breakthrough

In 2024, Tyagi received an invitation that changed her reach. She was selected to walk the red carpet at Cannes.

She decided to design all her outfits herself.

Over four months, she created four looks. One of them was a pink ruffled gown made with around 1,000 metres of fabric. The outfit weighed close to 20 kilograms and featured a long trail.

The look drew attention online and on the red carpet. Her second Cannes appearance featured a hand-embroidered saree. Actor Sonam Kapoor noticed the saree and shared it on social media with praise.

For Tyagi, Cannes was not about fashion spectacle alone. It was proof that self-taught skills could hold space on a global stage.

Life After Cannes

After Cannes, Tyagi’s following grew fast. She now has around 3 million followers on Instagram and 2.49 million subscribers on YouTube.

Brands also took notice. She has since worked with CaratLane, Lakmé, Pond’s, Dot and Key Skincare, and Clinic Plus.

Her daily routine now includes shoots, design work and brand planning. She continues to stitch many of her outfits herself.

Despite the scale, she says the change still feels unreal.

Staying Close to the Craft

Tyagi sees herself first as a designer, then as a content creator. While she plans to continue making videos, her main focus remains fashion.

She wants to build her own label and make it widely known. Her aim is to design outfits that people enjoy wearing, not just watching online.

She recently took a short break and travelled to the Maldives with her family. She also bought her first car, a milestone she never expected at this age.

Family at the Centre

For Tyagi, the journey comes back to her mother. She says her mother feels proud and shares her achievements with friends and relatives each day.

The goal that started it all, to bring her mother out of unsafe work, has taken shape.

A New Kind of Fashion Path

Tyagi’s rise reflects a shift in the fashion world. Skill, access and audience now connect through digital platforms. Formal gates matter less than visible work.

She did not wait for approval. She showed her process and let people decide.

At 21, Nancy Tyagi stands at the start of a longer journey. Her story shows how patience, practice and purpose can turn local effort into global reach.

In a space often defined by polish, she arrived through persistence.

FAQs

Q1. Who is Nancy Tyagi?
Nancy Tyagi is an Indian fashion designer and content creator.

Q2. How did Nancy Tyagi become famous?
She gained attention through social media by designing outfits herself and later walked the Cannes Film Festival red carpet in 2024.

Q3. Did Nancy Tyagi design her Cannes outfits herself?
Yes. She designed and stitched all four outfits she wore at Cannes.

Q4. What are Nancy Tyagi’s future plans?
She plans to focus on building her own fashion label while continuing content creation.